Abstract

Many advances in lasers and optical technology for remote sensing of the atmosphere can also be applied to the newly emerging field of environmental and industrial emission monitoring. This paper will cover recent work in the development of new, solid-state and tunable laser sources, and their potential utility for remote sensing of atmospheric or environmental/industrial emissions and gases. In addition, the use of several new detectors or optical (fiber) routing applications will be covered. Examples include the development of tunable Ho lasers for the detection of CO₂ and H₂O in the atmosphere, new GeSb diode lasers for the detection of HF and NH₃, new OPO laser sources, that cover the 3 to 3.5 μm "C-H stretch" spectral region, and grating tunable Diode Lasers. The utility of wide tunability and moderate linewidth makes these lasers important for the future remote detection of many hydrocarbon and pollutant species in the atmosphere, as well as for industrial process control instrumentation.

© 1993 Optical Society of America