Abstract

An optical parametric oscillator (OPO), pumped by a fiber-amplified diode laser, is combined with off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (OA-ICOS). The cw OPO (power $1.2\mathrm{W}$, tunability $3–4\mathrm{\mu m}$, $5{\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}$ mode-hop-free tuning) has a tuning speed of $100\mathrm{THz}/\mathrm{s}$, which is ideal for rapid and sensitive trace gas detection. Combined with OA-ICOS, a detection limit of 50 parts per trillion by volume ($1\times {10}^{12}$) of ethane (${\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_6$) in nitrogen was obtained in $\mathrm{0.25}\mathrm{s}$ at $2997{\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}$, corresponding to a noise equivalent absorption sensitivity of $4.8\times {10}^{-11}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}{\mathrm{Hz}}^{-1/2}$. The system demonstrates real-time measurements of methane and water in exhaled human breath.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

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