Cavity assisted high-resolution THz spectrometer

Abstract

The analysis of gases by THz radiation offers a high degree of discrimination due to the narrow linewidths that are observed at low pressure. The sensitivity of existing high-resolution instruments is limited by the availability and performance of critical system components. This study uses two key components with physical structures at the wavelength scale to realise a high finesse THz cavity. The cavity is characterised and incorporated into a spectrometer. Sensitivity limits of the instrument are experimentally demonstrated for trace and pure gases. Both CEAS (Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy) and CRDS (Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy) configurations are shown to give sub-ppm detection levels. The cavity has also been used to measure the atmospheric losses.