Improving The Signal-To-Noise Ratio - Horiba Scientific FluoroMax-4 Operation Manual

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FluoroMax -4 & FluoroMax -4P with USB rev. D (30 Jul 2012)

Improving the signal-to-noise ratio

Because of various hardware or software conditions, occasionally it is necessary to op-
timize the results of an experiment.
The quality of acquired data is determined largely by the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N).
This is true especially for weakly fluorescing samples with low quantum yields. The
signal-to-noise ratio can be improved by:
Using the appropriate integration time,
Scanning a region several times and averaging the results,
Changing the bandpass by adjusting the slit widths, and
Mathematically smoothing the data.
The sections that follow discuss the alternatives for improving the S/N ratio and the ad-
vantages and disadvantages of each.
5-7
Optimizing Data