A Laboratory for Studying the Effect of Solar and Simulated Solar Radiation on Airborne Microorganisms

Abstract

A three-component laboratory has been constructed to study the effect of solar or simulated solar radiation on airborne microorganisms. A 45-foot transit tube having one surface of sunlight-transmitting glass was designed for the study of dynamic aerosols of no more than 10 minutes' age. A 650-liter revolving dodecagon with a periphery constructed with the same glass is used to study aerosols aged 2 minutes to more than 24 hours. This facility is illuminated either by a heliostat on the roof that reflects natural sunlight or by a xenon light located under the apparatus. Animals can be exposed to aerosols irrespective of the light source with either transit tube or drum. Studies of the action spectrum of light can be carried out in a 20-liter chamber illuminated by 30- or 90-nm bandwidths of light provided by a plasma light- diffraction grating system. The increments of light may be selected from a total range of 300 to 2,500 nm. The method of data acquisition and some preliminary experiments are described.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1969
Accession Number
AD0857678

Entities

People

  • Emerson L. Dorsey
  • Everett L. Neff Jr.
  • Richard F. Berendt

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Animals
  • Bacteria
  • Data Acquisition
  • Dew Point
  • Escherichia
  • Escherichia Coli
  • Gratings (Spectra)
  • Humidity
  • Light Sources
  • Microorganisms
  • Monochromatic Light
  • Radiation
  • Schematic Diagrams
  • Solar Radiation
  • Spectra
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerosol Science/Aerosol Physics
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.