Multipass cell based on confocal mirrors for sensitive broadband laser spectroscopy in the near infrared. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • We report on broadband absorption spectroscopy in the near IR using a multipass cell design based on highly reflecting mirrors in a confocal arrangement having the particular aim of achieving long optical paths. We demonstrate a path length of 314 m in a cell consisting of two sets of highly reflecting mirrors with identical focal length, spaced 0.5 m apart. The multipass cell covers this path length in a relatively small volume of 1.25 l with the light beam sampling the whole volume. In a first application, the absorption spectra of the greenhouse gases CO(2), CH(4), and CO were measured. In these measurements we used a femtosecond fiber laser with a broadband spectral range spanning the near IR from 1.5 to 1.7 m. The absorption spectra show a high signal-to-noise ratio, from which we derive a sensitivity limit of 6 ppmv for methane observed in a mixture with air.

published proceedings

  • Appl Opt

author list (cited authors)

  • Mohamed, T., Zhu, F., Chen, S., Strohaber, J., Kolomenskii, A. A., Bengali, A. A., & Schuessler, H. A.

citation count

  • 8

complete list of authors

  • Mohamed, T||Zhu, F||Chen, S||Strohaber, J||Kolomenskii, AA||Bengali, AA||Schuessler, HA

publication date

  • October 2013