Abstract
Methane is a gas of interest for several reasons. Methane is the second most abundant gaseous source of carbon after carbon dioxide. Methane is an indicator of anaerobic activity and thus is prevalent in wetlands. Methane is a greenhouse gas and contributes 20% to global warming. Diode lasers are an attractive light source for the detection of methane. They are inexpensive and are easily modulated. Thus diode lasers easily lend themselves to derivative spectra and to frequency-modulation spectroscopy. The mid-IR region has been the domain of lead-salt diodes. These diodes are operated at liquid-nitrogen temperatures, a characteristic that has limited their use.
© 1995 Optical Society of America
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