Abstract

We have demonstrated quantitative chemical vapor detection with a multimode quantum cascade (QC) laser. Experiments incorporated pseudorandom code (PRC) modulation of the laser intensity to permit sensitive absorption measurements of isopropanol vapor at $8.0 \mathit{\mu }\mathrm{m}$. The demonstration shows the practicality of one technical approach for implementing low-peak-power QC lasers in the transmitter portion of a differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system. With a 31-chip, $300‐\mathrm{ns}/\mathrm{chip}$ PRC sequence, the measured isopropanol detection limit was 12 parts in ${10}^6$ by volume times meters ($\sim 3\times {10}^{-3}$ absorption) for a simple backscatter-absorption measurement configuration.

© 2000 Optical Society of America

Superior signal-to-noise ratio of a new AA1 sequence for random-modulation continuous-wave lidar

Adam Rybaltowski and Allen Taflove
Opt. Lett. 29(15) 1709-1711 (2004)

Water-vapor mixing-ratio measurements in the solar-blind region

F. de Tomasi, G. Torsello, and M. R. Perrone
Opt. Lett. 25(10) 686-688 (2000)

High-power, continuous-wave, current-tunable, single-mode quantum-cascade distributed-feedback lasers at λ ≅ 5.2 and λ ≅ 7.95 µm

Claire Gmachl, Federico Capasso, Alessandro Tredicucci, Deborah L. Sivco, James N. Baillargeon, Albert L. Hutchinson, and Alfred Y. Cho
Opt. Lett. 25(4) 230-232 (2000)

Cavity ringdown spectroscopy using mid-infrared quantum-cascade lasers

B. A. Paldus, C. C. Harb, T. G. Spence, R. N. Zare, C. Gmachl, F. Capasso, D. L. Sivco, J. N. Baillargeon, A. L. Hutchinson, and A. Y. Cho
Opt. Lett. 25(9) 666-668 (2000)

Double-edge molecular measurement of lidar wind profiles at 355 nm

Cristina Flesia, C. Laurence Korb, and Christian Hirt
Opt. Lett. 25(19) 1466-1468 (2000)