[Study on the Technology of the 4.4 µm Mid-Infrared Laser Heterodyne Spectrum].

In this paper, first time as our knowledge, we describe the development and performance evaluation of a 4.4 µm external cavity quantum cascade laser based laser heterodyne radiometer. Laser heterodyne spectroscopy is a high sensitive laser spectroscopy technique which offers the potential to develop a compact ground or satellite based radiometer for Earth observation and astronomy. An external cavity quantum cascade laser operating at 4. 4 µm, with output power up to 180 mW and narrow line width was used as a local oscillation. The external cavity quantum cascade laser offers wide spectral tuning range, it is tunable from 4.38 to 4.52 µm with model hop free and can be used for simultaneous detections of CO2, CO and N2 O. A blackbody was used as a signal radiation source. Development and fundamental theory of Laser heterodyne spectroscopy was described. The performance of the developed Laser heterodyne radiometer was evaluated by measuring of CO2 spectral at different pressures. Analyses results showed that a signal-to-noise ratio of 86 was achieved which was less than the theoretical value of 287. The spectral resolution of the developed Laser heterodyne spectroscopy is about 0.007 8 cm(-1) which could meet the requirement of high resolution spectroscopy measurement in the case of Doppler linewidth. The experiment showed that middle Infrared laser heterodyne spectroscopy system had high signal-to-noise ratio and spectral resolution, and had broad application prospect in high precision measurement of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration and vertical profile.

[Measurements of CO2 concentration at high temperature and pressure environments using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy].

The present research was planned to develop a method for species concentration measurements under high temperature and pressure environments. The characteristics of CO2 spectrum at high temperature and pressure were studied at first. Based on the research above, tunable diode-laser absorption of CO2 near 2.0 microm incorporating fixed-wavelength modulation spectroscopy with second-harmonic detection was used to provide a method for sensitive and accurate measurements of gas temperature and CO2 concentration at high temperature and pressure. Measurements were performed in a well-controlled high temperature and pressure static cell. The results show that the average error of the CO2 concentration measurements at 5 atm, 500 K and 10 atm, 1000 K is 4. 49%. All measurements show the accuracy and potential utility of the method for high temperature and pressure diagnostics.

[Measurement and application of CO2 spectroscopic parameters near 2.0 µm].

The accuracy of absorption spectral parameters is very important for the trace gas measurement based on absorption spectroscopy techniques, especially for the isotopic abundance measurement of gas molecules. For some of the applications, spectral parameters listed in HITRAN database were used to retrieve the trace gas concentration. However, these parameters have uncertainty, in order to validate spectroscopic parameters near 2.0 µm of CO2 lines, which are to be used in detecting the CO2 concentration and isotopic abundance, spectra of those lines were recorded at room temperature using a distributed feed-back (DFB) diode laser. The recorded absorption spectra were fitted to Voigt profile. Line position, intensity, self-broadening coefficient and N2-broadening coefficient were deduced from those data. The results show a good consistency in comparison with those listed in HITRAN2012 database. The discrepancy of most line intensities and self-broadening coefficients are less than 2%. The CO2 concentration and Δ(13 CO2 ) in real atmosphere inside laboratory are 440 ppm and -9 per hundred respectively. These results provide a reliable basis for real time and on line detecting the CO2 concentration and Δ(13 CO2) in the wavelength range.

[Development of a photoacoustic spectroscopy system for the measurement of absorption coefficient of atmospheric aerosols].

In the present paper, the authors focus on the effect of the resonance frequency shift due to the changes in temperature and humidity on the PA signal, present several methods to control the noise derived form gas flow and vibration from the sampling pump. Based on the efforts mentioned above, a detection limit of 1.4 x 10(-8) W x cm(-1) x Hz(-1/2) was achieved for the measurement of atmospheric aerosols absorption coefficient. During the experiments, the PA cell was calibrated with the absorption of standard NO2 gas at 532 nm and the atmospheric aerosols were measured continuously. The measurement results show that the PAS is suitable for the real-time measurement of the absorption coefficient of atmospheric aerosols in their natural suspended state.

[Low temperature properties of T shape photoacoustic cell and applications].

A homemade low-temperature T shape photoacoustic system (PAS) in the range from 0 to - 100 degrees C is well established. The mode distribution, the temperature dependence of the resonant frequency, Q-factor and the sensitivity of the PAS were investigated. The measurement of the carbon dioxide in the range from 0 to -100 degrees C showed that the system can be used in trace gas detection under low-temperature. The results show that the PAS can be used to study the atmospheric molecules continuous absorption at low-temperature.

[Off-axis cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy detection techniques for the measurement of carbon dioxide].

The spectrum of carbon monoxide was obtained around 1. 573 microm using a tunable distributed feedback semiconductor laser with a high-finesse cavity at room temperature via off-axis cavity enhanced absorption (CEA) spectroscopic technique. The absorption line of carbon monoxide at 6 357. 311 6 cm(-1) was chosen for trace detection. Meanwhile, in order to get more accurate measurements, absorption path length of the cavity calibration methods was studied, and a simple and practical calibration method was given. The results show that, the equivalent absorption path length of high-precision optical resonator was -1 195.73 m. At last, we got the concentration of carbon monoxide in the real atmosphere to be -388.346 ppm (S/N = 22), and the detection limit of carbon monoxide was 17.65 ppm. By combination of wavelength modulation technology and OA-CEAS technology, a minimum detectable concentration of 0.36 ppm (S/N = 1 064) was achieved eventually.

[Study of CH4 spectroscopy at low temperature near 1.65 microm].

In the CH4 absorption spectroscopy measurement, especially the measurements at low temperature, the accurate values of the absorption spectral parameters are very important. The absorption spectral parameters are especially important when the authors use parameters to sense and model the atmospheres of the earth and the outer planets. Sometimes the CH4 parameters listed in the HITRAN 2008 database are uncertain to some extent. In order to measure the low temperature absorption spectroscopy of methane, the authors used a cryogenic cell newly developed by ourselves in combination with a distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser as the light source and measured the low stated energy and the rotational angular momentum. And while the authors compared our data with HITRAN 2008, the authors modeled the line intensity changing with the temperature. The authors' measured parameters will be helpful for sensing and modelling the atmospheres of the earth and the outer planets.

[Research on vehicle-based remote sensing of natural gas pipeline leakage].

In the present paper the authors designed a vehicle-based remote sensing system using simulated platform and presented a new method of concentration calibration of natural gas pipeline leakage remote sensing. By investigating the performance of different distance, different material, different angle of topographic back scatter and different scan speed, a good coincidence was achieved between experimental results and theoretical results. The system can realize the remote detection of low-level methane concentration at a velocity of 53.3 km x h(-1), and the detecting distance is about 70 m with the minimum detectable sensitivity being 28.9 ppm x m. The research result shows the feasibility in the application.

[Study of CO2 spectroscopic parameters at high temperature near 1.57 microm].

Measurements strategies based on absorption spectroscopy techniques, especially the measurements in high temperature, require accurate values of important spectroscopic parameters of the probed species. Sometimes the parameters listed in widely used HITRAN and HITEMP2004 database are uncertain to some extent. In order to validate the spectroscopic parameters of 9 selected CO2 lines which should be used in combustion diagnosis, spectra of those lines were recorded in a high temperature experiment setup as a function of temperature (in the range of 300-800 K) and pressure (in the range of 9-450 torr) using a distributed feed-back (DFB) diode laser. The recorded absorption spectra were fitted to Voigt profile. Line intensity, air-broadening coefficient and temperature exponent of each line were deduced from those data. Through comparison of experimental results and those listed in HITRAN and HITEMP2004 database, the discrepancies of most line intensities, air-broadening coefficients and their temperature exponents are less than 3%, 5% and 2% respectively. Those results show good consistency between the experimental data and that in HITRAN and HITEMP2004 database. The discrepancy in line intensities may be caused by the fitting of absorption spectra, the reading of thermocouple and pressure gage, uniformity of temperature in the heated cell, and uncertainty of the optical path. Those factors also cause the discrepancy in air-broadening coefficients and their temperature exponent. CO2 contained in air also introduces error in air-broadening coefficients and their temperature exponent beside those factors. Though we have deducted them in data-processing, the little change of CO2 in partial region also exists. Those results will be helpful to the measurement of CO2 concentration in combustion diagnosis in the future.