Abstract

Laser spectroscopic techniques for detecting minute quantities of atmospheric pollutants have made rapid advances in the last few years.^1-2 Molecular CO₂ lasers play an important role in atmospheric pollution monitoring. This is because of its high power emission on multiple wavelengths in the 9 - 11 μm range, and which overlap with the absorption spectra of a large number of molecules of environmental concern, such as hydrocarbons (HC), O₃, NH₃, SO₂, NO₂, and others. In addition to using a CO₂ laser for atmospheric pollution detection, one can use it inside a chemical plant to remotely detect leakage of unwanted toxic and hazardous gaseous compounds.² In this article, we present some initial results of an investigation on a simple gas analyzer using a CO₂ laser that can be used as a remote sensor for atmospheric pollution monitoring or for gas leak detection in chemical plants. A dual-beam CO₂ laser analyzer is also under investigation and comparative results will be presented at the conference.

© 1993 Optical Society of America