Golay cell

<p>The Golay cell is a type of opto-acoustic detector mainly used for <a href="/facts/Infrared_spectroscopy/u1Hzx617">infrared spectroscopy</a>. It consists of a gas-filled enclosure with an <a href="/facts/Infrared/44XdJNcc">infrared</a> absorbing material and a flexible <a href="/facts/Diaphragm_(mechanical_device)/nAXR5Yrq">diaphragm</a> or membrane. When infrared radiation is absorbed, it heats the gas, causing it to expand. The resulting increase in <a href="/facts/Pressure/eyc37GRG">pressure</a> deforms the membrane. Light reflected off the membrane is detected by a <a href="/facts/Photodiode/152Rpk06">photodiode</a>, and motion of the membrane produces a change in the signal on the photodiode. The concept was originally described in 1947 by <a href="/facts/Marcel_J._E._Golay/8BJ8gj2T">Marcel J. E. Golay</a>, after whom it came to be named.
</p><p>The Golay cell has high sensitivity and a flat response over a very broad range of frequencies. The response time is modest, of order 10 ms. The detector performance is degraded in the presence of mechanical vibrations.
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Golay cell open-in-new

Golay cell