OPTOACOUSTIC MEASUREMENT OF OPTICAL-ABSORPTION IN ACETYLENE SMOKE

Optoacoustic measurements of acetylene smoke in a simple nonresonant cell at wavelengths of 0. 5145 and 10. 6 mu m yield specific absorption coefficients A//A of 8. 3 plus or minus 0. 9 and 0. 76 plus or minus 0. 1 m**2 g** minus **1, respectively. In the visible region, about 85% of the total optical attenuation is due to absorption. These data are consistent with a simple model in which the smoke is comprised of agglomerated carbon spheres. The experimentally determined responsivity of the optoacoustic cell agrees well with theory.