Demonstration of a rapidly-swept external cavity quantum cascade laser for rapid and sensitive quantification of chemical mixtures

A rapidly-swept external-cavity quantum cascade laser with an open-path Herriott cell is used to quantify gas-phase chemical mixtures of D2O and HDO at an update rate of 40 Hz (25 ms measurement time). The chemical mixtures were generated by evaporating D2O liquid near the open-path Herriott cell, allowing the H/D exchange reaction with ambient H2O to produce HDO. Fluctuations in the ratio of D2O and HDO on timescales of < 1 s due to the combined effects of plume transport and the H/D exchange chemical reaction are observed. Based on a noise equivalent concentration analysis of the current system, detection limits of 147.0 ppbv and 151.6 ppbv in a 25 ms measurement time are estimated for D2O and HDO respectively with a 127 m optical path. These detection limits are reduced to 23.0 and 24.0 ppbv with a 1 s averaging time for D2O and HDO respectively. Detection limits < 200 ppbv are also estimated for N2O, F134A, CH4, Acetone, and SO2 for a 25 ms measurement time.

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