Cavity-enhanced photothermal spectroscopy: dynamics, sensitivity, and spatial resolution. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The spectrally resolved low-level absorption of thin films and of solid and liquid surfaces was measured by cavity-enhanced photothermal spectroscopy. The technique is ultrasensitive and can determine surfacespecific absorbances alpha(omega) ~ 10(-6) at a power density of 10(4)W/cm(2). Both cases of continuous wave and modulated laser light absorption were studied experimentally and are interpreted theoretically. It is shown that it is possible to achieve a spatial resolution of absorbance variations in the few-micrometer range. The thermal diffusivity can also be simultaneously measured by observing the time evolution of the surface temperature during laser irradiation.

published proceedings

  • Appl Opt

author list (cited authors)

  • Schuessler, H. A., Chen, S. H., Rong, Z., Tang, Z. C., & Benck, E. C.

citation count

  • 8

publication date

  • May 1992