Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy at the Daresbury SRS

The high brilliance of modern synchrotron radiation sources results in a significant intensity advantage over conventional sources in the far infrared region of the spectrum. For applications with inherently low etendue, such as reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) of surfaces, this advantage extends into the mid-infrared (IR) region, to 1000 cm-1 or higher. The spectroscopic region between 100 and 1000 cm-1 is of particular interest in surface science since it includes the vibrational modes of the majority of direct bonds between the surface and adsorbate, but the low intensity of conventional sources renders investigations of this region difficult. In this paper, we discuss the design criteria of the new Daresbury infrared beamline