Abstract

A tunable mid infrared source could serve a multifunction role for remote sensing of atmospheric constituents such as greenhouse gasses and ozone. While atmospheric constituents which are more plentiful or have a strong dipole moment can utilize weak overtone features in the near infrared, atmospheric constituents which are less plentiful or have smaller dipole moments must reply on the fundamental absorption features in the mid infrared. For lighter gasses, such as the greenhouse gasses, these features are found in the 2.5 to 5.5 μm region. Consequently, NASA Langley is developing the laser technology to provide a tunable mid infrared source suitable for DIAL applications.

© 1993 Optical Society of America