Cavity ring‐down optical spectrometer for absorption measurements using pulsed laser sources (original) (raw)
Research Article| December 01 1988
Deacon Research, 900 Welch Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
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Deacon Research, 900 Welch Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
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Rev. Sci. Instrum. 59, 2544–2551 (1988)
We have developed a technique which allows optical absorption measurements to be made using a pulsed light source and offers a sensitivity significantly greater than that attained using stabilized continuous light sources. The technique is based upon the measurement of the rate of absorption rather than the magnitude of absorption of a light pulse confined within a closed optical cavity. The decay of the light intensity within the cavity is a simple exponential with loss components due to mirror loss, broadband scatter (Rayleigh, Mie), and molecular absorption. Narrowband absorption spectra are recorded by scanning the output of a pulsed laser (which is injected into the optical cavity) through an absorption resonance. We have demonstrated the sensitivity of this technique by measuring several bands in the very weak forbidden b_1Σ_g_−_X_3Σ_g transition in gaseous molecular oxygen. Absorption signals of less than 1 part in 106 can be detected.
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© 1988 American Institute of Physics.
1988
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