Abstract This thesis is devoted to methods of analyzing optical spectra obtained from turbid liquids, i.e., liquids that are optically very thick and/or scatter light. Data for spectral analysis were obtained with a new, multifunction spectrophotometer developed for industrial liquid samples. One characteristic of the spectrophotometer is that spectral analysis methods can be implemented into the software. Here, the emphasis was on data inversion methods, particularly the Kramers-Kronig analysis and the maximum entropy method, which can be used to gain information on the wavelength-dependent complex refractive index of liquid samples. Relating to such characteristics as density and colour, the complex refractive index also helps to identify the species that form a liquid. The methods were applied to study the internal reflection of light from the prism-liquid interface of the probe and to analyze surface plasmon resonance spectra. This study provided new methods of investigating the optical properties of relatively difficult objects, like offset inks, and of assessing adhesion forces between ink and the substrate system. Another important part of the thesis was the exploration of spectral analysis methods to obtain optical properties of nanoparticles in a liquid matrix. Bounds for the optical properties of multi-component structures in a liquid were considered with the aid of Wiener bounds.

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Dans cette thèse nous avons ajouté le contrôle du paramètre spectral pour donner plus de degré de liberté à l’instrument basé sur l’Imagerie par Résonance des Plasmons de Surface (SPRI), développant un système instrumental à interrogation angulo-spectrale. Pour valider notre travail, nous avons pris comme modèle d’étude un milieu diélectrique absorbant à unelongueur d’onde visible. La fonction diélectrique complexe est traitée par le modèle de Lorentz et la relation entre la partie réelle et imaginaire de l’indice optique est assurée par la relation de Kramers-Kronig. Nous avons commencé par injecter dans la cellule de mesure un colorant absorbant à 630 nm et mesuré la réflectivité angulo-spectrale avec ce milieu. Ensuite, un programme d’ajustement, que nous avons développé, a été utilisé pour le calcul inverse et la détermination des paramètres optiques à partir des données de l’expérience. Cet ajustement permet d’extraire la partie réelle et la partie imaginaire de l’indice de réfraction démontrant la possibilité d’applications de type spectroscopique. Nous avons également intégré successivement à la surface des molécules d’ADN marquées par différents chromophores pour voir l’effet de la position d’absorption sur la variation de réflectivité angulo-spectrale. En plus des milieux absorbants, nous avons fabriqué des réseaux diélectriques et métalliques et les avons intégrés à la surface du prisme. Les structures utilisées avaient une période de 250 nm et une épaisseur de 300 nm en PMMA. Cette condition nous a permis de voir un plasmon bandgap centré à 735 nm. Cette étude expérimentale est validée par une étude théorique en utilisant la méthode RCWA pour simuler la réponse des réseaux périodiques. / During this work we added the spectral parameter to the homemade Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging (SPRI) instrument, developing an angulo-spectral instrumental system. To validate our set-up, we first used a dielectric medium absorbing in the visible spectral range as a model case. The complex dielectric function was treated by the Lorentz model and the relationship between the imaginary and the real part of the refractive index medium was calculated with the Kramers-Kronig relation. We started by injecting an absorbing dye at 630 nm in the microfluidic cell and then measured the angulo-spectral reflectivity. The experimental measurements were fitted with calculations issued from a newly developedprogram to extract the dielectric optical parameter from the experimental data. This fit calculates the imaginary and real part of the absorbing dielectric medium demonstrating the possibility for spectroscopic applications. We also integrated DNA molecules tagged with different chromophores to study the effect of the absorption wavelength on the surface plasmon angulo-spectral reflectivity variation. Furthermore, to illustrate the interest of the spectral parameter, one can integrate adielectric or metallic grating on the prism surface. Specifically, we fabricated a dielectric grating of PMMA with 250 nm period and 300 nm thickness. We observed plasmons bandgap located at 735 nm. This experimental study was in good agreement with a simulation obtained using a RCWA method based program.

This thesis describes laboratory measurements of the complex refractive index of volcanic ash particles. These measurements are needed to model the radiative impact of volcanic ash, vital for accurate satellite remote sensing. Three experimental methods have been developed, and the results for the complex refractive index and optical properties of a wide range of volcanic ash samples are presented. Measurements were made of the spectral transmission of radiation through suspended volcanic ash particles inside an aerosol cell, using a Fourier transform spectrometer at infrared wavelengths and two diffraction grating spectrometers covering ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths. In addition to the optical measurements, a suite of sampling and sizing instruments were connected downstream of the aerosol cell to measure the particle size distribution. The method was calibrated using two quartz samples. Mass extinction coefficients for nine volcanic ash samples, at 0.3-14 μm, are presented and show considerable variation. These variations are linked to the composition of the samples, measured using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. The complex refractive index, at 0.3-14 μm, of the two quartz samples and two samples of volcanic ash from the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption were retrieved from the extinction measurements. The forward model used Mie theory and a classical damped harmonic oscillator (CDHO) model to represent the complex refractive index of the samples in terms of a finite set of band parameters, as well as the real refractive index of the sample in the small wavelength limit. Previous studies have shown that there is a redundancy in the retrievals between the band strength parameters and the real refractive index in the small wavelength limit, which can lead to spurious values for the retrieved complex refractive index. This problem was overcome by using an independent measurement of the real refractive index at a visible wavelength, to constrain the model parameter of the real refractive index in the short wavelength limit. Independent measurements of the complex refractive index at visible wavelengths are also important because the extinction produced at these wavelengths is highly sensitive to the particle size distribution, and any uncertainty in the measured size distribution will contribute to significant systematic error in the refractive index retrieved from extinction. The retrieved spectral complex refractive index of Eyjafjallajökull ash was applied using the ORAC retrieval scheme to measurements of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruptionmade by theMODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite. Significant difference were found in the retrieved plume parameters of optical path, effective radius, and plume altitude, compared to assuming a literature measurement for the refractive index of pumice. For three discrete visible wavelengths (450, 546.7, and 650 nm) an optical microscope was used to make measurements of the complex refractive index of the volcanic ash samples. The long-established Becke line method was used to measure the real refractive index of the samples. For the imaginary refractive index, a new and novelmethod was developed involving measurements of the attenuation of light in individual particles. A strong linear correlation was found between the SiO₂ content of the samples and both their real and imaginary refractive indices at the visible wavelengths investigated. Furthermore, from the XRF compositional analysis of the samples values were calculated for the ratio of non-bridging oxygen atoms per tetrahedral cation (NBO/T), and it was found that NBO/T was an even stronger predictor of real refractive index at visible wavelengths. The optical microscope measurements could only be applied to particles with a radius larger than 10 μm. A new refractometer method was investigated for retrieving the real refractive index of submicron particles from colloidal reflectance measurements close to the critical angle in an internal reflection configuration. A coherent scattering model (CSM) was used to model the coherent reflection from a half-space of monodisperse or polydisperse particles, and a simple extension of the model is presented to properly account for the modified size distribution at the interface in an internal reflection set-up. A rigorous sensitivity analysis was performed to determine how experimental uncertainties propagate into uncertainty associated with the retrieved real refractive index, and the uncertainty due to non-spherical effects was estimated using T-matrix methods. Experimental reflectance data at a wavelength of 635 nm were obtained for spherical monodisperse polystyrene calibration particles, a polydisperse sand sample, and a polydisperse volcanic ash sample. The retrieved values for the real refractive index agreed, within propagated uncertainties, with values measured using other techniques. The method is shown to be a viable technique for measuring the real refractive index of small quantities of submicron particles, and can also retrieve the concentration and size of particles.

La caractérisation fine des matériaux inorganiques nécessite d'avoir accès à des informations complémentaires de celles apportées par des techniques d'analyse élémentaire ou de diffraction. La spectroscopie infrarouge à transformée de Fourier permet de caractériser les liaisons covalentes et l'environnement des groupes fonctionnels dans les matériaux. C'est donc une technique de choix pour l'étude des matériaux hydratés, amorphes ou sujets à des phénomènes de vieillissement. En couplant cette technique à une platine de déplacement, il est possible de réaliser des cartographies des phases sur quelques centimètres carrés : c'est la microscopie infrarouge. Cette thèse développe plus particulièrement l'utilisation de la lumière réfléchie au travers de l'étude de la réflexion spéculaire et de la réflexion totale atténuée (ATR).Après une première partie se focalisant sur les méthodes d'acquisitions disponibles, une seconde partie s'attache à obtenir de manière non supervisée les cartographies chimiques associées aux concentrations relatives des différents composants présents dans la zone analysée. Des techniques de réduction de données et d'analyse factorielle sont mises en place afin d'estimer le nombre de composants chimiques et leurs spectres relatifs ; des problèmes de minimisation sous contraintes sont résolus pour extraire l'information chimique. La réflexion spéculaire ne nécessite aucun contact avec l‘échantillon et, de ce fait, n'entraine aucune altération de la surface analysée. C'est sur le papier une technique de choix pour suivre l'évolution d'un matériau. Cependant, elle souffre de la complexité d'interprétation liée à l'allure des spectres obtenus. Afin de développer la cartographie issue de la réflexion spéculaire, des modèles prenant en compte l'optique géométrique, l'optique ondulatoire, des corrections d'interférogrammes et des méthodes classiques d'homogénéisation ont été développés. Ce travail a permis d'aboutir à un modèle optique liant les spectres issus de la réflexion spéculaire avec les concentrations relatives des composants. Ce modèle tient compte de la polarisation, de l'angle d'incidence et utilise les constantes diélectriques du matériau. Ce modèle a été validé sur un matériau contenant trois composants distincts facilement identifiables en infrarouge et spécialement mis en forme pour cette étude. Ce modèle a ouvert la voie à l'utilisation innovante de lumières polarisées elliptiquement pour déterminer l'indice de réfraction complexe d'un matériau. Ainsi, des spectroscopes infrarouges couplés à un accessoire de contrôle de l'angle d'incidence peuvent être utilisés en complément de l'ellipsométrie / Complementary information, to that provided by elemental analysis and diffraction techniques, is needed to characterize inorganic materials. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy enables to characterize covalent bonds and the environment of functional groups in materials. Thus, it is a technique of interest to study hydrated materials, amorphous materials or any materials, which may experience ageing phenomena. By combining this technique with a micrometric motorized stage, cartographies of chemical compounds can be obtained on several square millimeters: this is the infrared microscopy technique. This Ph.D. thesis focuses on the use of reflected light, in particular through the study of specular reflection and of Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR). After a first part focused on the different acquisition set-ups, a second part covers the unsupervised methodologies of resolution employed to obtain chemical maps. They result in one map for each component present in the analyzed area. Dimensions reduction techniques and multivariate statistics techniques are implemented to estimate the number of components and their infrared spectra; minimization problems under constraints are solved to retrieve chemical information. When specular reflection is used to acquire spectra, no contact is made with the sample, thus no damage of the analyzed area occurs during the acquisition. A priori, it is a great technique to study the evolution of a material. However, this technique suffers from the complexity of interpretation of the resulting spectra. With the objective to democratize the use of specular reflection to obtain chemical maps, models based on geometrical optics and including diffraction, correction of interferograms and classical homogenization techniques have been developed. This work resulted in an optical model linking the angle of incidence, the polarization state and the dielectric optical constants of the material with the reflected light, which is measured. A model material, constituted of three distinct phases, detectable in the infrared range, has specially been fabricated to validate this optical model. This model set the stage for the use of elliptically polarized light in the determining of the complex refractive indices of materials in the infrared range. Thanks to this development, infrared spectroscopes, equipped with a classical set-up to control the angle of incidence, can now be used in addition to ellipsometry techniques