High-accuracy and high-sensitivity spectroscopic measurement of dinitrogen pentoxide (NO) in an atmospheric simulation chamber using a quantum cascade laser.

A spectroscopic instrument based on a mid-infrared external cavity quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL) was developed for high-accuracy measurements of dinitrogen pentoxide (NO) at the ppbv-level. A specific concentration retrieval algorithm was developed to remove, from the broadband absorption spectrum of NO, both etalon fringes resulting from the EC-QCL intrinsic structure and spectral interference lines of HO vapour absorption, which led to a significant improvement in measurement accuracy and detection sensitivity (by a factor of 10), compared to using a traditional algorithm for gas concentration retrieval. The developed EC-QCL-based NO sensing platform was evaluated by real-time tracking NO concentration in its most important nocturnal tropospheric chemical reaction of NO + NO ↔ NO in an atmospheric simulation chamber. Based on an optical absorption path-length of L = 70 m, a minimum detection limit of 15 ppbv was achieved with a 25 s integration time and it was down to 3 ppbv in 400 s. The equilibrium rate constant K involved in the above chemical reaction was determined with direct concentration measurements using the developed EC-QCL sensing platform, which was in good agreement with the theoretical value deduced from a referenced empirical formula under well controlled experimental conditions. The present work demonstrates the potential and the unique advantage of the use of a modern external cavity quantum cascade laser for applications in direct quantitative measurement of broadband absorption of key molecular species involved in chemical kinetic and climate-change related tropospheric chemistry.