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Dunlap, Megan K.

Publications and source records attributed to Dunlap, Megan K..

An Interactive Spectral Analysis Tool for Chemical Identification and Quantification of Gas-Phase Species in Complex Spectra

A spectral analysis tool has been developed to interactively identify and quantify individual gas-phase species from complex infrared absorbance spectra obtained from laboratory or field data. The SpecQuant program has an intuitive graphical interface that accommodates both reference and experimental data with varying resolution and instrumental lineshape, as well as algorithms to readily align the wavenumber axis of a sample spectrum with the raster of a reference spectrum. Using a classical least squares model in conjunction with reference spectra such as those from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) gas-phase infrared database or simulated spectra derived from the HITRAN line-by-line database, the mixing ratio of each identified species is determined along with its associated estimation error. After correcting the wavelength and intensity of the field data, SpecQuant displays the calculated mixing ratio versus the experimental data for each analyte along with the residual spectrum with any or all analyte fits subtracted for visual inspection of the fit and residuals. The software performance for multianalyte quantification was demonstrated using moderate resolution (0.5 cm –1 ) infrared spectra that were collected during the time-resolved infrared photolysis of methyl iodide.

Thompson, Christopher J.↗

An infrared spectral database for gas-phase quantitation of volatile per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

We report the construction of a database of vetted infrared spectra specifically targeting volatile fluorocarbon gases that may be emitted during thermal treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to assist understanding of treatment processes and improve quantification. To populate this database, protocols derived from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) infrared spectral database are used, curtailing the species selection for this data set. Each spectrum in the database is a weighted average derived from 10 or more individual measurements at different partial pressures (static method) or flow rates (dissemination method) to yield good fidelity of both strong and weak infrared signatures, with each composite spectrum ranging from = 6500 cm-1 to = 600 cm-1 with an apodized resolution of 0.112 cm-1. This resolution was chosen to fully resolve all spectral features, recognizing that atmospheric pressure broadening results in nearly all ro-vibrational lines having linewidths = 0.1 cm-1. As an example case, application of the database is demonstrated via identification and quantification of dominant 1H-perfluoroheptane and perfluorohept-1-ene fluorocarbon products resulting from thermal decomposition of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) below 450 °C.

Infrared, Gas-phase spectra, FTIR, Spectral databa↗

A gain series method for accurate EMCCD calibration

Abstract Calibration of the gain and digital conversion factor of an EMCCD is necessary for accurate photon counting. We present a new method to quickly calibrate multiple gain settings of an EMCCD camera. Acquiring gain-series calibration data and analyzing the resulting images with the EMCCD noise model more accurately estimates the gain response of the camera. Furthermore, we develop a method to compare the results from different calibration approaches. Gain-series calibration outperforms all other methods in this self-consistency test.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗