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Progress in far-infrared spectroscopy: Approximately 1890 to 1970

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Abstract

The history of far-infrared spectroscopy from its beginning to around 1970 is reviewed. Before World War II, the size of the community investigating this topic was limited. During this period, in particular before 1925, about 90% of the papers were published by H. Rubens and his co-workers in Germany. One or two researchers from the US joined the Rubens group per year from 1890 to the beginning of 1910. During the next year or two, some researchers joined M. Czerny, who is seen as the successor of Rubens. After World War II, far-infrared techniques progressed further in the US, which did not suffer damage during the war. The advanced techniques of far-infrared grating spectroscopy were transferred from the US (R. A. Oetjen) to Japan (H. Yoshinaga). Yoshinaga and his co-workers expanded the techniques by themselves. This paper describes the historical development of far-infrared spectroscopy before Fourier transform spectroscopy became popular around 1970.

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Acknowledgement

“The progress of far-infrared spectroscopy” was published in Journal of Japan Society of Infrared Science and Technology in 2007 in Japanese. My co-worker Dr. K. Sakai asked me for permission to present it to a wider audience, saying that the history is highly important and should be made available to the world community. Under the leadership of Dr. Sakai, the article was translated into English with the help of S. Nakashima (Prof. Emeritus of Osaka University), Y. Tsunawaki (Prof. Emeritus of Osaka Sangyo University) and Prof. Hangyo (Osaka University). I appreciate their efforts and also that of Prof. M. Koch, Editor in Chief of Journal of Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves. Reproduction is permitted by the Japan Society of Infrared Science and Technology. Incidentally, Dr. K. Sakai and Prof. Y. Tsunawaki are former presidents of the society.

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    Akiyoshi Mitsuishi

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Mitsuishi, A. Progress in far-infrared spectroscopy: Approximately 1890 to 1970. J Infrared Milli Terahz Waves 35, 243–281 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10762-013-0029-9

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