Arizona State University — Thermal Emission Spectroscopy Laboratory (Christensen Research Group)

Snapshot

Country	United States
City	Tempe, AZ
Tier	Extended (Tier II)
Primary ecosystem	Spectral libraries — thermal IR emission of geologic materials
Relevant unit	Christensen Research Group — Thermal Emission Spectroscopy Laboratory
Signature library	Thermal IR spectra, typically ~2000 – 220 cm⁻¹

Why it matters internationally

ASU is one of the most important academic institutions for thermal infrared emission spectroscopy of geological materials. The ASU Thermal Emission Spectroscopy Laboratory library consists of thermal infrared emission spectra of geologic materials and underlies a substantial body of classic publications on rock-forming minerals. ASU helped establish thermal emission spectroscopy as a mature laboratory and interpretive framework: in the world of minerals, rocks, and planetary surfaces, emissivity is not merely a correction factor but a source of compositional information.

Scope of activity

Relevant unit

Christensen Research Group / Thermal Emission Spectroscopy Laboratory — runs the ASU TES spectral library and the instrumentation behind it, alongside a long history of planetary thermal-infrared instruments.

Radiative properties measured / curated

Thermal infrared emission spectra of geologic materials — minerals, rocks, and planetary analog samples.

Capability envelope

Wavelength: thermal IR spectral library, typically ~2000 – 220 cm⁻¹.
Methodology: thermal infrared emission spectroscopy laboratory with a large spectral library designed for direct comparison with spacecraft, airborne, and laboratory measurements.

Signature infrastructure

ASU Thermal Emission Spectroscopy Laboratory Spectral Library — thermal IR emission spectra of geologic materials built for comparison with spacecraft, airborne, and laboratory measurements. This is one of the central reference libraries used in planetary thermal IR spectroscopy.

Application domains

Mineral emissivity
Thermal infrared spectroscopy
Planetary surface characterization — Mars missions, Moon, asteroids

Why ASU TES Lab is a reference pole

What NIST and PTB are to metrological emissivity, ASU is to mineralogical emissivity. It produced the reference spectra that anchor the interpretation of thermal IR data from planetary missions, and it demonstrated that the emitted spectrum of a surface can be read as a compositional signature. Any serious work on mineral emissivity or thermal-IR planetary spectroscopy eventually traces back to the ASU TES library.

External sources

Spectral Library — Christensen Research Group

Traceability

Every claim in this profile traces to the external sources listed above. Profile follows the research-map methodology. Last verified: 2026-04 (directory revision 2026-06-11).