Abstract
We perform a direct absorption spectroscopy experiment of carbon monoxide at by exploring the detectivity improvement potential of an intensity noise (IN)-reduced distributed feedback (DFB) quantum cascade laser. This was achieved by a detuned loading approach via a short, phase-sensitive optical feedback cavity. Under optimum IN reduction conditions, we obtain an improvement in signal-to-noise ratio from 733 to 1048, which transfers into a detection limit improvement from 1.2 ppm to 840 ppb. Therefore, we achieve a 30% lower detection limit, with the IN reduced when compared to the free-running case.
© 2014 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Katherine M. Manfred, James M. R. Kirkbride, Luca Ciaffoni, Robert Peverall, and Grant A. D. Ritchie
Opt. Lett. 39(24) 6811-6814 (2014)
Eugenio Fasci, Nicola Coluccelli, Marco Cassinerio, Alessio Gambetta, Laurent Hilico, Livio Gianfrani, Paolo Laporta, Antonio Castrillo, and Gianluca Galzerano
Opt. Lett. 39(16) 4946-4949 (2014)
Ilia Sergachev, Richard Maulini, Alfredo Bismuto, Stéphane Blaser, Tobias Gresch, Yves Bidaux, Antoine Müller, Stéphane Schilt, and Thomas Südmeyer
Opt. Lett. 39(22) 6411-6414 (2014)