Chapter 2 - Interaction of Matter and Electromagnetic Radiation

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 2 provides the fundamentals of interaction mechanisms of electromagnetic radiation and matter. I am aware of the fact that a comprehensive treatment of the different light–matter interaction mechanisms alone would require several books as they—in deed—can be found for each different light–matter interaction mechanism in literature. Nevertheless the focus of this book is on the application of in situ spectroscopic techniques at high pressure. The reader is supposed to see in which way the research activities in the field of high-pressure process technology in the past profited and in the future might profit from the in situ application of spectroscopic techniques. Of course, high-pressure-researchers have to understand the basics of light–matter interactions, if they intend to bring in situ spectroscopic techniques to ever new applications and to develop them further aiming to provide ever new insights into high-pressure process technology and science. Therefore I decided to provide in the sections that follow an extract of the basics of the interaction mechanisms between electromagnetic radiation and light, which—from my point of view—is essential for being able to understand the working principles of the different spectroscopic techniques and to transfer and adopt the spectroscopic techniques to new fields of high-pressure process technology and science.