In-flight measurements of ambient methane, nitrous oxide and water using a quantum cascade laser based spectrometer

In-flight measurements of ambient methane, nitrous oxide and water have been made using frequency down-chirped radiation from a compact, pulsed, quantum-cascade laser spectrometer. In three flights from Oxford airport in October 2006 the variations of the concentration of these three trace gases could be measured and related to possible sources in the flight path

A compact quantum-cascade laser based spectrometer for monitoring the concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide in the troposphere

A spectrometer, based on the frequency down-chirped radiation from a pulsed quantum-cascade laser, capable of detecting fluctuations in local ground level methane and nitrous oxide concentrations over a time scale of minutes, is presented. The applicability of this instrument to low-level atmospheric detection is demonstrated through sampling gases in two locations