title: On temperature determinations from nonresolved spectra.
abstract: Low intensity sources often require that film spectrograms be obtained with relatively large and overlapping spectral line images, i.e., the nonresolved case. To determine the temperature of the source producing such photographic spectra, densitometer scans of the film must be properly interpreted. This paper examines the effects produced by different types of (assumed) combined line spread functions and image sizes on the output of densitometer scans of nonresolved film spectra. Application to the determination of spectroscopic temperatures of the CN violet system is shown to illustrate some of the important problems involved. Results show that temperature determinations should be based on densitometry in spectral regions where the line spread function effects are minimized, namely, away from the prominent band heads.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Planet
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Pitts