Ultralow Gas Concentration Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy

A new technique is presented for obtaining the absorption spectra of small samples and low concentrations of gases. The technique makes use of currently available sources of wavelength-tunable intense coherent light such as the optical parametric oscillator, dye laser, or tunable diode laser. The absorbed power is detected by the heating and resultant pressure rise in the absorbing gas. An initial experiment with a 15-mW He–Ne laser operating at 3.39 μ has shown a sensitivity adequate to measure the absorption of a concentration of 10−8 of methane in nitrogen. It is expected that, with higher-power sources of tunable ir radiation, it may be possible in the future to detect concentrations of impurities as low as 10−13.