Abstract
Laser characteristics have been evaluated for mid-infrared quantum-cascade (QC) lasers operating in a continuous mode at cryogenic temperatures. These tests were performed to determine the suitability of QC lasers for use in various spectroscopic applications, including Doppler-limited molecular absorption spectroscopy and pressure-limited LIDAR instrumentation. Using rapid-scanning techniques, direct absorbance measurements of nitric oxide (NO), ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) have been performed with QC lasers, operating at either 5.2 or 8.5 μm. Measured Doppler-limited absorption profiles show no distortion with increased averaging (up to 103-104 samples averaged), thereby minimizing the need for sophisticated data acquisition systems which re-register successive data streams to accommodate for laser frequency jitter and drift. Additionally, the high tuning rates (2.5 cm-1 in 0.6 milliseconds; 5-10 kHz sweep repetition rate) achieved with the QC lasers allow for the measure of relatively rapid transient phenomena or a high degree of signal averaging in a short time. Noise-equivalent absorbances of 3 × 10-6 have also been obtained without optimizing the optical arrangement.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 23-33 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
Volume | 3758 |
State | Published - 1999 |
Externally published | Yes |
Event | Proceedings of the 1999 Application of Tunable Diode and Other Infrared Sources for Atmospheric Studies and Industrial Processing Monitoring II - Denver, CO, USA Duration: Jul 19 1999 → Jul 20 1999 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering