Laser-induced photoacoustic detection of ozone at 266 nm using resonant cells of different configuration

Photoacoustic detection of ozone with a red laser diode

The photoacoustic detection of ozone using the Chappuis band is demonstrated. A visible red laser diode emitting at 638 nm was employed as a light source. The photoacoustic cell consisted of a conventional resonance tube with a MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) microphone placed outside an opening along the tube. A calibration curve for the range from 33 ppmV to 215 ppmV was found to be highly linear with a coefficient of determination (r²) of 0.9999, when allowing for different measurement frequencies to account for shifts in the speed of sound due to changes in the gas matrix. The limit of detection was found to be 1.6 ppmV for an optical power of the laser diode of about 130 mW.

A simplified scheme for generating narrow-band mid-ultraviolet laser radiation

We report on the development and characterization of continuous, narrow-band, and tunable laser systems that use direct second-harmonic generation from blue and green diode lasers with an output power level of up to 11.1 mW in the mid-ultraviolet. One of our laser systems was tuned to the mercury 6(1)S0 → 6(3)P1 intercombination line at 253.7 nm. We could perform Doppler-free saturation spectroscopy on this line and were able to lock our laser to the transition frequency on long time scales.

High sensitive detection of nitric oxide using laser induced photoacoustic spectroscopy at 213 nm

Trace level detection of nitric oxide (NO) is of great interest for a wide range of applications such as environment and human health. For this purpose, a high sensitive sensor based photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) principle has been developed at our laboratory for detection of NO at very low concentration (ppbV). For optimization of the PAS signal and to achieve higher sensitivity, parametric dependence investigation was carried out where PAS signal dependence on NO gas pressure, cell geometry, buffer gas (Ar, N2, He), and laser pulse energy used three PAS cells developed locally. The best sensitivity achieved with three cells was 41, 11, 20 ppbv, respectively. It is worth reporting that the best PAS signal to noise ratio was achieved by using a cylindrical cell having three acoustic filters and argon as a buffer gas.