Laser lineshape effects on cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy signals

Abstract

The quantitative effects of laser lineshape on signals from cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) and integrated cavity output spectroscopy (ICOS) experiments are examined. The governing equations for CEAS signals including the laser lineshape are derived. Approximations under which the laser lineshape may be neglected or replaced with an effective lineshape are presented. It is shown that the laser lineshape effects may be parameterized with two dimensionless variables: the laser linewidth normalized by the absorption linewidth, and the peak sample absorbance normalized by the mirror loss. In terms of the dimensionless variables, we simulate CEAS and ICOS signals and the absorbances inferred from them. The simulation results provide a useful tool for CEAS and ICOS practitioners to gauge the importance of laser lineshape effects in specific experiments. Simulations are performed for the four combinations of Gaussian and Lorentzian lineshapes for the laser and the absorption.