Parts per trillion sensitivity for ethane in air with an optical parametric oscillator cavity leak-out spectrometer.
Spectroscopic detection of ethane in the 3-microm wavelength region was performed by means of a cw optical parametric oscillator and cavity leak-out. We achieved a minimum detectable absorption coefficient of 1.6 x 10(-10) cm 1/square root of Hz, corresponding to an ethane detection limit of 6 parts per trillion/square root of Hz. For 3-min integration time the detection limit was 0.5 parts per trillion. The levels are to our knowledge the best demonstrated so far. These frequency-tuning capabilities facilitated multigas analysis with simultaneous monitoring of ethane, methane, and water vapor in human breath.
von Basum
Golo
G
Institut für Lasermedizin, Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Halmer
Daniel
D
Hering
Peter
P
Mürtz
Manfred
M
Schiller
Stephan
S
Müller
Frank
F
Popp
Alexander
A
Kühnemann
Frank
F