Photothermal interferometry apparatus and method
AssigneeTechnische UniversitäT Wien
InventorsJohannes Paul WACLAWEK, Bernhard LENDL
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Abstract
A photothermal interferometry apparatus and method for detecting a molecule in a sample, in particular for detecting a trace gas species, comprising: a Fabry-Perot interferometer with a first mirror, a second mirror and a first cavity for containing the sample extending between the first and the second mirror, a probe laser for passing a probe laser beam through the first cavity of the Fabry-Perot interferometer, an excitation laser for passing an excitation laser beam through the first cavity of the Fabry-Perot interferometer for exciting the molecule in the sample, and a photodetector unit for detecting the transmitted probe laser beam passed through the first cavity of the Fabry-Perot interferometer.
Claims20
A photothermal interferometry apparatus for detecting a molecule in a sample, comprising:
- a Fabry-Perot interferometer with a first mirror, a second mirror and a first cavity for containing the sample extending between the first and the second mirror, a probe laser arrangement with at least one probe laser for providing a first probe laser beam and a second probe laser beam, an excitation laser for passing an excitation laser beam through the first cavity of the Fabry-Perot interferometer for exciting the molecule in the sample, the Fabry-Perot interferometer comprising a third mirror, a fourth mirror and a second cavity for containing the sample extending between the third and the fourth mirror, the first and the second cavity of the Fabry-Perot interferometer being arranged such that the first probe laser beam intersects with the excitation laser beam in the first cavity and the second probe laser beam does not intersect with the excitation laser beam in the second cavity, and a photodetector unit comprising a first photo detector for detecting the transmitted first probe laser beam and a second photo detector for detecting the transmitted second probe laser beam.
A method for detecting a trace gas species in a sample using photothermal spectroscopy, comprising the steps of:
- providing a first and a second probe laser beam, directing the first probe laser beam through the sample in a first cavity of a Fabry-Perot interferometer, directing the second probe laser beam through the sample in a second cavity of the Fabry-Perot interferometer, providing an excitation laser beam for heating the sample in the first cavity of the Fabry-Perot interferometer, directing the excitation laser beam through the sample in the first cavity of the Fabry-Perot interferometer, detecting the transmitted first probe laser beam, and detecting the transmitted second probe laser beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.