Abstract
The multiple-pass optical cell is an important tool for laser absorption spectroscopy and its many applications. For most practical applications, such as trace-gas detection, a compact and robust design is essential. Here, we report an investigation into a multi-pass cell design based on a pair of cylindrical mirrors, with a particular focus on achieving very long optical paths. We demonstrate a path-length of 50.31 m in a cell with 40 mm diameter mirrors spaced 88.9 mm apart—a 3-fold increase over the previously reported longest path-length obtained with this type of cell configuration. We characterize the mechanical stability of the cell and describe the practical conditions necessary to achieve very long path-lengths.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
P. Werle, R. Mücke, F. Slemr, Appl. Phys. B 57, 131 (1993)
D.G. Lancaster, A. Fried, B. Wert, B. Henry, F.K. Tittel, Appl. Opt. 39, 4436 (2000)
J.A. Silver, W.R. Wood, Proc. SPIE 4817, 82 (2002)
D.A. Santavicca, ACS Symp. Ser. 134, 255 (1980)
P. Minutolo, C. Corsi, F. D’Amato, M. De Rosa, Eur. Phys. J. D 17, 175 (2001)
M. Gianella, M.W. Sigrist, Sensors 10, 2694 (2010)
J. Zhang, Z.H. Lu, L.J. Wang, Opt. Lett. 32, 3212 (2007)
D. Qu, C. Gmachl, Phys. Rev. A 78, 033824 (2008)
D.Z. Anderson, J.C. Frisch, C.S. Masser, Appl. Opt. A 23, 1238 (1984)
M.D. Wheeler, S.M. Newman, A.J. Orr-Ewing, M.N.R. Ashfold, J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. 94, 337 (1998)
J.U. White, J. Opt. Soc. Am. 32, 285 (1942)
J. White, J. Opt. Soc. Am. 66, 411 (1976)
S.M. Chermin, E.G. Barskaya, Appl. Opt. 30, 51 (1991)
D. Herriott, H. Kogelnik, R. Kompfner, Appl. Opt. 3, 523 (1964)
D.R. Herriott, H.J. Schulte, Appl. Opt. 4, 883 (1965)
D.R. Herriott, H.J. Schulte, Appl. Opt. 3, 523 (1965)
J.B. McManus, P.L. Kebabian, M.S. Zahniser, Appl. Opt. 34, 3336 (1995)
J.B. McManus, P.L. Kebabian, C.E. Kolb, Appl. Opt. 28, 5016 (1989)
E.C. Richard, K.K. Kelly, R.H. Winkler, R. Wilson, T.L. Thompson, R.J. McLaughlin, A.L. Schmeltekopf, A.F. Tuck, Appl. Phys. B 75, 183 (2002)
L. Hao, S. Qiang, G. Wu, L. Qi, D. Feng, Q. Zhu, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 73, 2079 (2002)
J.A. Silver, Appl. Opt. 44, 6545 (2005)
J.A. Silver, European Patent 1,621,867A1, 2005
V.L. Kasyutich, P.A. Martin, Appl. Phys. B 88, 125 (2007)
H. Kogelnik, T. Li, Proc. IEEE 54, 1312 (1966)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Das, D., Wilson, A.C. Very long optical path-length from a compact multi-pass cell. Appl. Phys. B 103, 749–754 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-010-4337-7
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-010-4337-7