Title :
Laser absorption spectroscopy of atmospheric formaldehyde
Author :
Tittel, Frank K. ; Richter, D. ; Rehle, D. ; Leleux, D. ; Lancaster, D.G. ; Fraser, Matthew P. ; Fried, Alan
Author_Institution :
Rice Quantum Inst., Rice Univ., Houston, TX, USA
Abstract :
Summary form only given. For the real time detection of atmospheric CH/sub 2/O with ultra high sensitivity and excellent selectivity, a cw tunable mid-IR spectroscopic source based on difference frequency generation (DFG) has been developed. The motivation for such a laser source is the acquisition of high quality CH/sub 2/O concentration measurements. Formaldehyde is an important intermediate present in all regions of the atmosphere and in testing the current understanding of hydrocarbon photochemistry. CH/sub 2/O plays also a critically important role in the chemistry of the urban atmosphere because of health effects associated with CH/sub 2/O, as well as its role in ground-level ozone formation.
Keywords :
air pollution measurement; atmospheric measuring apparatus; atmospheric techniques; chemical variables measurement; infrared spectroscopy; measurement by laser beam; optical fibre amplifiers; optical frequency conversion; ozone; photochemistry; remote sensing by laser beam; spectrochemical analysis; atmospheric formaldehyde; cw tunable mid-IR spectroscopic source; difference frequency generation; ground-level ozone formation; health effects; high quality CH/sub 2/O concentration measurements; hydrocarbon photochemistry; laser absorption spectroscopy; real time detection; selectivity; ultra high sensitivity; urban atmosphere; Absorption; Atmosphere; Atmospheric measurements; Chemistry; Frequency; Hydrocarbons; Photochemistry; Spectroscopy; Testing; Tunable circuits and devices;
Conference_Titel :
Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe, 2000. Conference Digest. 2000 Conference on
Conference_Location :
Nice
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-6319-1
DOI :
10.1109/CLEOE.2000.910126
