A pulsed dye-laser optoacoustic spectroscopy technique has been used to measure the absorption spectra of light and heavy water at 21.5°C in the visible region. Basic principles of pulsed optoacoustic spectroscopy technique and the procedure for absolute calibration are discussed with reference to its application in water. Experimental details of the application of optoacoustic spectroscopy to water are given. Our absorption coefficients, of accuracies about ±10%, are believed to be the most reliable so far. Light water has a broad absorption minimum near 475 nm where the absorption coefficient is 1.8 × 10−4 cm−1. Heavy water exhibits a totally different absorption spectrum and has a broad absorption minimum near 600 nm where the absorption coefficient is 1.9 × 10−4 cm−1. Previous measurements of the optical spectra of water were done mostly by long-path transmission measurements, and they display disagreements by factors as large as 10 near the green absorption minimum of light water. We give a critical comparison of our optoacoustic absorption spectra with other existing data.
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Most of the data reported are actually attenuation coefficients, which include absorptions and scattering. Scattering loss due to Rayleigh scattering only is always much smaller (by an order of magnitude or more) than the absorption loss in the spectral range covered by this table. However, scattering loss due to particle scattering can be very significant for low-purity samples.
If an author only reported measurements in the vicinity of a wavelength given in the table, an interpolation is made.
Only the better-known or more recent measurements or compilations are given in this table, since it is not possible (and probably not useful) to include all published data on the optical absorption of water.
Ref. 6. Dorsey tabulated data from different experimental investigations done by various authors from 1895 to 1934. Averages of data are given in this table (with a few inconsistent data discarded).
Tables (2)
Table I
Absorption Coefficients of Liquid Water at 21.5°C by Laser Optoacoustic Spectroscopy a
ν (cm−1)
λ (nm)
α (H2O) (10−4 cm−1)
α (D2O) (10−4 cm−1)
ν (cm−1)
λ (nm)
α (H2O) (10−4 cm−1)
α (D2O) (10−4 cm−1)
22,400
446.3
2.38
9.50
18,600
537.5
4.53
2.48
22,300
448.3
2.33
8.68
18,500
540.4
4.80
2.49
22,200
450.4
2.30
8.11
18,400
543.5
5.00
2.50
22,100
452.4
2.27
7.69
18,300
546.3
5.28
2.50
22,000
454.4
2.21
7.27
21,900
456.5
2.14
6.96
21,800
458.6
2.13
6.68
21,700
460.7
2.11
6.46
17,400
574.5
8.05
2.22
21,600
462.9
2.06
6.17
17,300
577.8
8.99
2.10
21,500
465.0
2.06
6.03
17,200
581.2
10.07
2.01
21,400
467.2
2.00
5.77
17,100
584.6
11.07
1.91
21,300
469.4
2.05
5.60
17,000
588.0
12.32
1.89
21,200
471.6
1.84
5.41
16,900
591.5
13.77
1.86
21,100
473.8
1.77
5.20
16,800
595.0
15.89
1.86
21,000
473.1
1.79
4.74
16,700
598.6
19.25
1.88
20,900
478.4
1.86
4.51
16,600
602.2
23.2
1.92
20,800
480.7
1.86
4.39
16,500
605.9
24.8
1.97
20,700
483.0
1.84
4.09
16,400
609.6
25.7
2.00
20,600
485.3
1.81
3.83
16,300
613.3
26.7
2.03
20,500
487.7
1.86
3.70
16,200
617.1
27.7
2.09
20,400
490.1
1.89
3.51
16,100
620.9
28.8
2.22
20,300
492.5
1.93
3.39
16,000
624.8
29.6
2.28
20,200
494.9
2.00
3.22
15,900
628.7
30.0
2.28
20,100
497.4
2.16
3.19
15,800
632.7
30.4
2.20
20,000
499.9
2.33
3.10
15,700
636.7
31.0
2.15
19,900
502.4
2.50
3.05
15,600
640.8
31.0
2.15
19,800
505.0
2.70
2.98
15,500
645.0
31.4
2.14
19,700
507.5
2.88
2.89
15,400
649.2
32.3
2.06
19,600
510.1
3.13
2.72
15,300
653.4
33.1
2.12
19,500
512.7
3.48
2.54
15,200
657.7
36.1
2.12
19,400
515.4
3.65
2.50
15,100
662.1
37.9
2.15
19,300
518.0
3.75
2.55
15,000
666.5
38.7
2.26
19,200
520.7
3.80
2.46
14,900
670.9
39.5
2.40
19,100
523.5
3.87
2.48
14,800
675.5
40.8
2.54
19,000
526.2
3.97
2.48
14,700
680.1
42.6
2.69
18,900
529.0
4.09
2.48
14,600
684.7
45.1
2.74
18,800
531.8
4.27
2.41
14,500
689.2
47.6
2.90
18,700
534.7
4.39
2.40
14,400
694.2
52.6
3.20
Accuracies of our data are given at the end of Sec. IV.
Table II
Absorption Coefficients a of Liquid H2O Near 25°C at Selected Optical Wavelength, b as Given by Various Authors c
Most of the data reported are actually attenuation coefficients, which include absorptions and scattering. Scattering loss due to Rayleigh scattering only is always much smaller (by an order of magnitude or more) than the absorption loss in the spectral range covered by this table. However, scattering loss due to particle scattering can be very significant for low-purity samples.
If an author only reported measurements in the vicinity of a wavelength given in the table, an interpolation is made.
Only the better-known or more recent measurements or compilations are given in this table, since it is not possible (and probably not useful) to include all published data on the optical absorption of water.
Ref. 6. Dorsey tabulated data from different experimental investigations done by various authors from 1895 to 1934. Averages of data are given in this table (with a few inconsistent data discarded).