AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Customized Solar Simulation for Biological Aerosol Agent Fate Experimentation
DANIEL HAHN, JHU/APL
Abstract Number: 212 Working Group: Environmental Fate of Infectious Aerosols
Abstract Commonly used solar simulator specifications, such as the ASTM E927-10, are derived from reference spectra, such as the ASTM G173-03, each of which are intended for silicon photovoltaic testing applications. These reference spectra and specifications emphasize irradiance in the visible spectrum, but not in the ultraviolet. Conversely, action spectra related to the damage of biological materials generally have a logarithmically decreasing relationship with linearly increasing wavelength and can be more than four orders of magnitude higher at 300 nm (approximate lower cutoff of ultraviolet solar irradiation on the surface of the earth) than at 400 nm (lower cutoff of the visible spectrum). Proposed herein are an alternate reference spectrum (ASTM G177-03) and customized solar simulator specifications that are better matched to the action spectra of biological materials, including aerosolized spores. Solar simulator design concepts based on these specifications are also presented.