Rapid scan absorption spectroscopy using a waveform-driven electro-optic phase modulator in the 1.6- 1.65 υm region

Published

September 25, 2013

Author(s)

Kevin O. Douglass, Stephen Maxwell, Gar W. Truong, Roger D. van Zee, Joseph T. Hodges, David Long, David F. Plusquellic

Abstract

A method is reported for performing fast optical frequency scans over a bandwidth of 36.9 GHz and at a sweep rate of 40 kHz using a single second-order sideband from an electro-optic phase modulator driven by an arbitrary waveform generator. Single sideband selection is accomplished using the resonator modes of a Fabry-Perot filter cavity having a finesse of ≅44 and a free-spectral range of 300 MHz. The finesse is sufficiently high to give <2% total transmission of the laser frequency carrier and all other nonresonant sidebands while sufficiently low to ensure on- resonance switching times as short as 100 ns. A frequency offset component of a diode laser is used for active stabilization of the laser to the filter cavity at all times eliminating frequency drift of the filter cavity transmission comb used for single sideband selection and scanning. The method is demonstrated for the detection of CO₂ near 1602 nm and for CH₄ lines near 1643 nm. Detection of ambient level concentrations of each of these gases is demonstrated in a 25 υs scan over a path length of 50 m at a sensitivity of ≅3 × 10⁻⁹  cm⁻¹  Hz^−1/2. The corresponding measurement uncertainties (k=1 or 1ς) in a (2-3) ms time period and a 1 km path length are 2 and 4. The arbitrary waveform control of the pulse sequence, repetition rate, and duty cycle provides for optimization of the light source for a variety of application areas that include path integrated differential absorption and differential absorption light detection and ranging.

Citation

Journal of the Optical Society of America B-Optical Physics

Volume

30

Issue

10

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.30.002696

Local Download

Keywords

Fast Scan, Filter Cavity, Arbitrary Waveform Generators, Electro-Optic Phase Modulators, DIAL, Direct absorption, Remote Sensing, Spectroscopy.

Citation

Douglass, K. , Maxwell, S. , Truong, G. , van Zee, R. , Hodges, J. , Long, D. and Plusquellic, D. (2013), Rapid scan absorption spectroscopy using a waveform-driven electro-optic phase modulator in the 1.6- 1.65 &#965;m region, Journal of the Optical Society of America B-Optical Physics, [online], https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.30.002696, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=913748 (Accessed December 2, 2024)