Instrument Selection Spectroradiometers Frequently Asked Questions

2. Instrument Selection

1. What is the optical design and type of detector (CCD) used in the RSS and UVRSS?

The RSS family uses a unique locked-down spectrograph optical dispersion design via a fused silica prism as the refraction method. The UVRSS covers from 290-360 nm and the visible/NIR RSS covers 360 to 1100nm. Both the UVRSS and the RSS have astronomical-quality, slow scan, 1024-element CCD image detectors. These are electronically cooled for low noise performance. Other spectroradiometer designs have relied on moving parts to adjust ruled diffraction gratings. With the RSS/UVRSS, however, there are no internal moving parts that control throughput or wavelength registration (other than the shutter which is only used for dark level measurements.) This results in superior optical performance and rugged durability.