Submillimeter-wave properties of thermospheric rocket plumes

The problem of detecting rocket plumes at thermospheric altitudes with satellite-borne submillimeter-wave radiometers is examined theoretically. To estimate the sizes of plume signatures contrasted against a 250-K earth background or in self-emission against the cold sky, a computer program has been developed to predict plume brightness temperatures and optical depths of rotational lines of plume molecular constituents (e.g., H₂O) as a function of distance from the nozzle. The methods employed in the computations are described in general terms, and examples are presented to indicate that detectable H₂O signatures extending to several thousand nozzle diameters should exist at plume altitudes above 250 km.     

Radiometric observations of the 752.033-GHz rotational absorption line of H2O from a laboratory jet

The intensity and lineshape of the Doppler-broadened 752.033-GHz (2₁₁ 2₀₂) rotational transition of H₂O has been studied passively using a high-resolution two-stage heterodyne radiometer with single-sideband system noise temperature of 45,000 K. The purpose of the experiments was to demonstrate the observability at submillimeter wavelengths of a high-altitude rocket plume simulated by a laboratory H₂O jet in a vacuum chamber. First-stage mixing was accomplished by means of a GaAs Schottky diode with first local-oscillator power supplied by a CO₂-laser pumped formic-acid laser (761.61 GHz), generating and X-band IF signal. Second localoscillator power was provided by a tunable C-band source. One-MHz resolution capability was obtained by means of a 3-GHz waveguide cavity filter with only 9-dB insertion loss. In the H₂O jet experiments, the center frequency of the line was determined to within 1 MHz of the previously reported value. A rotational temperature 75 K, a linewidth 5 MHz, and a Doppler shift 3 MHz (from a 45-degree rotation of the flow direction) were measured with the line-of-sight intersecting the jet axis at a distance downstream of 30 nozzle diameters. These absorption data were ogtained against continuum background radiation sources at temperatures of 1175 and 300 K.     

A stable submillimeter laser local oscillator for heterodyne radiometry and spectroscopy

A submillimeter laser with off-axis pump beam injection is described. This design concept achieves complete isolation of the pump laser with respect to the pump radiation reflected from the smm resonator. Active line independent stabilization of the pump laser is obtained by the use of an external tunable etalon as a frequency reference. The smm output power is constant to within 4% over periods of hours. Mean frequency drifts of less than 2 parts in 10⁸ per minute were measured by mixing with very high harmonics of an X-band synthesizer in a planar Schottky diode.Supported in part by NSF     

空间外差光谱技术与FTS的比较研究

空间外差光谱技术是一种新型的可实现超分辨的光谱技术,它综合光栅和FTS技术于一体。对空间外差光谱技术与传统的傅里叶变换光谱技术(FTS)进行比较研究,介绍了两种光谱技术的光学原理,围绕着仪器的光谱分辨率和光谱范围进行比较分析,给出了一组系统设计参数的比较例子。分析结果表明,空间外差光谱技术可以充分利用探测器的空间频率,在一窄带光谱范围内,获得超高的光谱分辨率。     

A narrow-linewidth optical parametric oscillator for mid-infrared high-resolution spectroscopy

We present a narrow-linewidth, singly-resonant cw optical parametric oscillator, emitting more than 1 W in the 2.7–4.2?µm range. The OPO is pumped by a narrow linewidth (40?kHz) fibre-laser system and the signal frequency is locked to a high-finesse Fabry–Pérot cavity in order to increase the spectral resolution, thus obtaining a residual linewidth of 70?kHz for the signal. We tested the spectral performance of our OPO on several transitions in the ν₁ rovibrational band of CH₃I, measuring line intensities and showing sub-Doppler dip detection.     

High Sensitive Detection of Trace Gases Using Optical Heterodyne Method with a High Finesse Intra-Cavity Resonator

A novel highly sensitive method to detect the concentration of trace gas for environmental purposes is proposed. This method includes the application of frequency modulation for stabilization of laser frequency, together with optical heterodyne measurement. The shift of resonance frequency of the Fabry-Perot cavity resonator is due to the change of refractive index, accompanied by the dispersion effect due to the presence of a target gas (e.g., methane, carbon dioxide or nitrogen dioxide) inside the Fabry-Perot cavity.     

Observation of broken time-reversal symmetry with Andreev bound state tunneling spectroscopy

Quasiparticle (QP) planar tunneling spectroscopy is used to investigate the density of states (DoS) of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO). Temperature, crystallographic orientation, doping, damage and magnetic field dependencies confirm that the observed zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) is an Andreev bound state (ABS), an intrinsic property of a d-wave superconducting order parameter (OP) at an interface. In zero applied field, the splitting of the ZBCP below 8 K confirms a near-surface phase transition into a superconducting state with spontaneously broken time-reversal symmetry (BTRS). Tunneling into the ABS provides a phase-sensitive spectroscopy that can be used to measure a variety of DoS properties in an unconventional superconductor.     

Efficient distributed feedback solid state dye laser with a dynamic grating

We present the first operation of a distributed feedback solid state dye laser with a dynamic, pump-induced grating. Broadly tunable, narrow band operation in the region of 616 nm (604–649 nm) has been demonstrated with perylene red laser dye doped in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), when pumped with a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser. Conversion efficiencies of 20%, corresponding to 35% optical-to-optical efficiency, have been measured. The laser bandwidth was between 0.01 and 0.04 nm, and smooth tuning over more than 200 GHz has been demonstrated. Received: 29 March 1999 / Published online: 24 June 1999     

Detection of N2O by photoacoustic spectroscopy with a compact, pulsed optical parametric oscillator

A pulsed optical parametric oscillator (OPO) operated in an optical cavity with a grazing-incidence grating configuration (GIOPO) was used for sensitive photoacoustic detection of trace quantities of dinitrogen oxide (N₂O). The (ν₁+ν₃) combination vibration band of N₂O was excited with the idler beam of the GIOPO at 2.86 μm using an optical cavity optimized for the idler beam. The linewidth of the GIOPO could be reduced to 0.4 cm^-1, allowing the rotational structure of the absorption spectrum to be resolved. A concentration sensitivity (signal-to-noise ratio=3) of 60 parts in 10⁹ by volume (60 ppb V) N₂O in synthetic air was obtained. This may be sufficient for continuous monitoring of N₂O in the atmosphere. Received: 29 April 2002 / Revised version: 4 June 2002 / Published online: 21 August 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-6221/54-4255, E-mail: peter.hess@urz.uni-heidelberg.de     

Rotational spectroscopy of iodobenzene and iodobenzene–neon with a direct digital 2–8 GHz chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave spectrometer

The design of a chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave spectrometer operating in the 2–8 GHz frequency range is presented. The linear frequency sweep is generated by an arbitrary waveform generator with a sampling rate of 20 GS/s. After amplification, the microwave pulse is broadcast into a vacuum chamber where it interacts with a supersonically expanded molecular sample. The resulting molecular free induction decay signal is amplified and digitized directly on a digital oscilloscope with a 20 GS/s sampling rate. No frequency mixing or multiplication is necessary in this spectrometer, which allows for very high pulse quality and phase stability. The performance of this spectrometer is demonstrated on the rotational spectrum of iodobenzene. All four distinct singly-substituted ¹³C isotopologues have been detected in natural abundance, as well as two isotopic species of a van der Waals cluster of iodobenzene with a neon atom. Spectroscopic constants and derived structural parameters for iodobenzene and for iodobenzene–Ne are reported. In addition, the use of microwave–microwave double-resonance experiments in this spectrometer to facilitate spectral assignments is presented.