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Quartz enhanced photoacoustic H{sub 2}S gas sensor based on a fiber-amplifier source and a custom tuning fork with large prong spacing

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4930995· OSTI ID:22482066
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  1. State Key Laboratory of Quantum Optics and Quantum Optics Devices, Institute of Laser Spectroscopy, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006 (China)
  2. Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Bari and Politecnico di Bari, CNR-IFN UOS BARI, Via Amendola 173, Bari 70126 (Italy)
  3. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005 (United States)

A quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) sensor, employing an erbium-doped fiber amplified laser source and a custom quartz tuning fork (QTF) with its two prongs spaced ∼800 μm apart, is reported. The sensor employs an acoustic micro-resonator (AmR) which is assembled in an “on-beam” QEPAS configuration. Both length and vertical position of the AmR are optimized in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, significantly improving the QEPAS detection sensitivity by a factor of ∼40, compared to the case of a sensor using a bare custom QTF. The fiber-amplifier-enhanced QEPAS sensor is applied to H{sub 2}S trace gas detection, reaching a sensitivity of ∼890 ppb at 1 s integration time, similar to those obtained with a power-enhanced QEPAS sensor equipped with a standard QTF, but with the advantages of easy optical alignment, simple installation, and long-term stability.

OSTI ID:
22482066
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 107; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English