Dynamic Infrared Linear Dichroism: Instrumental Characterization and Optimization

Abstract
A dynamic infrared linear dichroism (DIRLD) spectrometer similar to the one described by Noda and Marcott has been constructed. The effects of variations in chopping frequency, film stretching frequency, and film stretching amplitude have been examined. In addition, the effect of poor phase adjustment and degraded polarization purity has been probed. The experiment has been found to be quite insensitive to small changes in these operating parameters, leading to good reproducibility in the qualitative results across different instruments.