Development of a Dual-beam Integrating Sphere Spectrophotometer for Measuring Absorption of Diffuse UV-VIS Radiation in Leaves and other Biological Samples

该奖项是对积分球光谱仪的开发，它将使测量漫射和部分漫射光照射的树叶和其他生物样品的光学特性成为可能。该仪器的开发将分以下几个阶段进行：光学和电子学设计，仪器组装，对照光谱标准和计算值测试和验证测量结果，创建用户界面，以及对树叶和其他生物样本进行测试和演示测量。这款积分球分光光度计可以测量样品在具有生物重要性的光谱区域内的全反射(漫反射加镜面反射)、透射率和吸收率：紫外线B(280-320 nm)、紫外线A(320-400 nm)、光合作用活跃区域(400-700 nm)和远红外近红外(700-1000 nm)。与现有仪器相比，新仪器将显著提高测量能力，目前的仪器仅允许在样品受到直接光照射的情况下进行测量。量化漫反射和部分漫反射光照射样品的辐射收支的能力应该在各种学科中有广泛的应用，在这些学科中，关于辐射拦截和运输的信息是基本的，如生态学、植物生理学、光生物学、光合作用和全球气候变化研究。到达地球表面的太阳量是决定农作物、森林和自然生态系统生产力的最重要因素之一。阳光对人类和动物的健康也是必要的，但它也会造成损害，就像晒伤一样。为了研究光对植物和动物的影响，有必要准确地测量它们的组织吸收的光量。当光线作为光束传播时，这种测量很容易进行，但当光线漫反射时，就不可能进行这种测量，就像在多云的日子里一样。漫射光占地球光环境的很大一部分，它提高了生态系统的生产力，预计它将随着全球气候变化而增加。这项研究的目标是开发新的仪器，使之能够测量植物或动物组织在漫反射光照射下吸收了多少光。该项目将支持对研究生和本科生、高中教师和学生的培训；它为招募代表性不足的群体的成员进入科学界提供了机会。

This award is for the development of an integrating sphere spectrometer that will make it possible to measure the optical properties of leaves and other biological samples irradiated with diffuse and partially diffuse light. The instrument will be developed in the following stages: design of optics and electronics, assembly of the instrument, testing and validating the measurements against spectral standards and calculated values, creating a user interface, and making test and demonstration measurements of leaves and other biological samples. This integrating sphere spectrophotometer will make it possible to measure total reflectance (diffuse plus specular), transmittance, and absorptance in samples within the biologically important regions of the spectrum: ultraviolet-B (280-320 nm), ultraviolet-A (320-400 nm), photosynthetically active region (400-700 nm), and far-red near infra-red (700-1000 nm). The new instrument will significantly advance the measurement capability over current instrumentation, which allows for measurements only when samples are irradiated with direct light. The ability to quantify the radiation budget of samples irradiated with diffuse and partially diffuse light should have wide-ranging applications in a variety of disciplines where information about radiation interception and transport are fundamental, such as ecology, plant physiology, photobiology, photosynthesis, and studies of global climate change. The amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth's surface is one of the most important factors determining the productivity of crops, forests, and natural ecosystems. Sunlight is necessary for human and animal health as well, but it can also cause damage, as in the case of sunburn. In order to study the effects of light on plants and animals, it is necessary to accurately measure the amount of light that is absorbed by their tissues. This measurement is easy to make when light travels as a beam but is not possible to make when light is diffuse, as is the case on a cloudy day. Diffuse light represents a significant portion of the light environment on Earth, it enhances ecosystem productivity, and it is expected to increase with global climate change. The goal of this research is to develop new instrumentation that will make it possible to measure how much light is absorbed when plant or animal tissues are irradiated with diffuse light. The project will support the training of graduate and undergraduate students, high school teachers and students; and it presents an opportunity to recruit members of underrepresented groups to science.