title: Transportable automated ammonia sensor based on a pulsed thermoelectrically cooled quantum-cascade distributed feedback laser.
abstract: A compact ammonia sensor based on a 10-microm single-frequency, thermoelectrically cooled, pulsed quantum-cascade laser with an embedded distributed feedback structure has been developed. To measure NH3 concentrations, we scanned the laser over two absorption lines of its fundamental v2 band. A sensitivity of better than 0.3 parts per million was achieved with just a 1-m optical path length. The sensor is computer controlled and automated to monitor NH3 concentrations continuously for extended periods of time and to store data in the computer memory.
authors.affiliation: Rice Quantum Institute, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77251-1892, USA. akoster@rice.edu
authors.forename: Anatoliy A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kosterev
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Curl
authors.forename: Frank K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Tittel
authors.forename: Rüdeger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Köhler
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gmachl
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Capasso
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Sivco
authors.forename: Alfred Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis*; D019149:Bioreactors; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D007834:Lasers; D011789:Quantum Theory; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D000641:Ammonia