
In the final clip of our conversation with Thomas Mayerhöfer, he talks about attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy's sensitivity to nanometer-thick layers, and its connection to spectroscopic ellipsometry.

Thomas G. Mayerhofer earned his diploma in chemistry from the University of Regensburg in 1996 and his PhD in physical chemistry from Friedrich Schiller University Jena in 1999. He completed his habilitation in 2006, specializing in the optics and infrared spectroscopy of polydomain materials. Since 2007, he has been a researcher at the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, where he has worked to unify and advance infrared spectroscopy by integrating wave optics and dispersion theory. More recently, his research has focused on refining the theoretical foundations of Attenuated Total Reflection and pioneering the introduction of complex-valued chemometrics in spectroscopy. Mayerhöfer has published over 120 peer-reviewed papers—more than half as first author—primarily on spectroscopic theory. He is also the author of Wave Optics in Infrared Spectroscopy: Theory, Simulation, and Modeling.

In the final clip of our conversation with Thomas Mayerhöfer, he talks about attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy's sensitivity to nanometer-thick layers, and its connection to spectroscopic ellipsometry.

In this interview clip, we explore how an optical model accounts for thin-layer thickness on the order of the penetration depth so spectra reflect partial-reflection effects.

Is sample thickness important for signal detection? The answer is yes, and in this interview segment, Thomas Mayerhofer of Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology explains why.

In this interview clip, Thomas Mayerhofer discusses why he re-evaluated the evanescent field in attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy.

What is the evanescent field and how does it relate to attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy? Thomas Mayerhofer explains.

In this tutorial, Thomas G. Mayerhöfer and Jürgen Popp introduce complex-valued chemometrics as a more physically grounded alternative to traditional intensity-based spectroscopy measurement methods. By incorporating both the real and imaginary parts of the complex refractive index of a sample, this approach preserves phase information and improves linearity with sample analyte concentration. The result is more robust and interpretable multivariate models, especially in systems affected by nonlinear effects or strong solvent and analyte interactions.

The Bouguer-Beer-Lambert law has its limitations and it doesn't always properly reflect the physical phenomena at play. This article examines the law's limitations.

Peak shifts in infrared spectra may occur for many reasons other than structural changes on the molecular or unit cell level. Here, we discuss several examples.

August 1st 2023

June 16th 2025