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Absorption, Absorption Spectrum in Lunar Studies

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Encyclopedia of Lunar Science

Definition

Absorption of solar radiation by the rocks on the lunar surface plays a crucial role in identifying a particular mineral’s spectral absorption feature in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). Spectroscopy, which is majorly based on the “absorption” caused by the interaction of solar electromagnetic wave radiation with the rocks and soils on the lunar surface, pertains to two primary goals, first is to study the matter structures and then internal interactions (e.g., atomic and molecular structures along with various orbital, spin, and nuclear interactions) followed by the identification of chemical composition and quantity measurement. However, the “interaction” and “absorption” significantly modify depending on the particular range of wavelength in EMS (Clark 1999). Optical spectroscopy utilizes the visible to near-infrared and shortwave infrared (VNIR-SWIR) region (400–3000 nm) (metal-to-metal charge transfer transitions) and in the far-infrared range (3000–10,000 nm) where...

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  1. Geomatics Engineering Group, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Roorkee, India

    Prateek Tripathi & Rahul Dev Garg

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  1. Prateek Tripathi
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  2. Rahul Dev Garg
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Correspondence to Prateek Tripathi .

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  1. Prairie View A&M University, Houston, TX, USA

    Brian Cudnik

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  1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA

    Caitlin Ahrens PhD

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Tripathi, P., Garg, R.D. (2022). Absorption, Absorption Spectrum in Lunar Studies. In: Cudnik, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Lunar Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05546-6_181-1

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