Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-8678677fb7-bbpp6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-10-16T13:01:28.138Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

12 - The Electromagnetic Spectrum

from Part III - Some Basic Chemistry for Archaeologists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2026

Mark Pollard
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
R. A. Armitage
Affiliation:
Eastern Michigan University
C. M. Batt
Affiliation:
University of Bradford
B. L. MacDonald
Affiliation:
University of Missouri, Columbia
B. Stern
Affiliation:
University of Bradford
S. M. M. Young
Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Get access

Summary

Introduces the electromagnetic spectrum and shows how different parts of it interact with solid materials. It includes a derivation of Beer’s law which allows the quantification of analytical measurements. It concludes with a discussion of synchrotron radiation, which provides highly collimated high intensity electromagnetic radiation across all wavelengths.

Information

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×