Particularly with lasers, other processes are possible. The wide range of spectroscopic techniques available may be utilised as analytical or diagnostic tools, right down to the single molecule level. At a more fundamental level, spectroscopy provides potent methods with which to probe the innermost secrets of all chemical species. Spectroscopy also maps out the detailed electronic structure of matter. This information is critical to the understanding of both chemical bonding and chemical reactivity.
Lasers continue to revolutionise spectroscopy.
Lasers can be made purely of one single colour, to a precision better than one part in a billion. Light pulses can be compressed into incredibly short pulses or amplified to a point where the very distinction between light and matter becomes blurred. Our great strength is to design, develop and invent special experiments and apparatus to target particular questions. A molecule may behave very differently in solution to when it is 'trapped' in the special environment of a protein or crystal. These critical environmental influences may be identified and probed via the application of laser selective spectroscopies.