Naked jets of water make a better pollutant detector
Thursday, October 3, 2013 - 18:00
in Physics & Chemistry
When you shine UV through water polluted with certain organic chemicals and bacteria, the contaminants measurably absorb the UV light and then re-emit it as visible light. Many of today's more advanced devices for testing water are built to make use of this fluorescent property of pollutants; but the walls of the channels through which the water travels in these devices can produce background noise that makes it difficult to get a clear reading.