The performance of an external cavity diode laser based noise immune cavity enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectrometer is presented. To reduce the noise on the signal a ring cavity and a circuit to remove residual amplitude modulation on the pre-cavity laser radiation was implemented. We demonstrate a sensitivity of 4 x 10⁻¹¹ cm⁻¹ Hz^-1/2 using a cavity with a finesse of 2600 on a Doppler-broadened transition of CH₄ at 6610.063 cm⁻¹.

© 2009 OSA

1. L. S. Ma, J. Ye, P. Dube, and J. L. Hall, “Ultrasensitive frequency-modulation spectroscopy enhanced by a high-finesse optical cavity: theory and application to overtone transitions of C2H2 and C2HD,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 16(12), 2255–2268 (1999). [CrossRef]
2. J. Bood, A. McIlroy, and D. L. Osborn, “Measurement of the sixth overtone band of nitric oxide, and its dipole moment function, using cavity-enhanced frequency modulation spectroscopy,” J. Chem. Phys. 124(8), 084311 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
3. F. M. Schmidt, A. Foltynowicz, W. Ma, and O. Axner, “Fiber-laser-based noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectrometry for Doppler-broadened detection of C2H2 in the parts per trillion range,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 24(6), 1392–1405 (2007). [CrossRef]
4. F. Schmidt, A. Foltynowicz, W. Ma, T. Lock, and O. Axner, “Doppler-broadened fiber-laser-based NICE-OHMS – Improved detectability,” Opt. Express 15(17), 10822–10831 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
5. L. Gianfrani, R. W. Fox, and L. Hollberg, “Cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy of molecular oxygen,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 16(12), 2247–2254 (1999). [CrossRef]
6. N. J. van Leeuwen, H. G. Kjaergaard, D. L. Howard, and A. C. Wilson, “Measurement of ultraweak transitions in the visible region of molecular oxygen,” J. Mol. Spectrosc. 228(1), 83–91 (2004). [CrossRef]
7. N. J. van Leeuwen and A. C. Wilson, “Measurement of pressure-broadened, ultraweak transitions with noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectroscopy,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 21(10), 1713–1721 (2004). [CrossRef]
8. A. Foltynowicz, W. Ma, F. M. Schmidt, and O. Axner, “Doppler-broadened noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectrometry signals from optically saturated transitions under low pressure conditions,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25(7), 1156–1165 (2008). [CrossRef]
9. C. Ishibashi and H. Sasada, “Highly sensitive cavity-enhanced sub-Doppler spectroscopy of a molecular overtone band with a 1.66 mm tunable diode laser,” Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 38(Part 1, No 2A), 920–922 (1999). [CrossRef]
10. M. S. Taubman, T. L. Myers, B. D. Cannon, and R. M. Williams, “Stabilization, injection and control of quantum cascade lasers, and their application to chemical sensing in the infrared,” Spectrochim. Acta A Mol. Biomol. Spectrosc. 60(14), 3457–3468 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
11. O. Axner, W. Ma, and A. Foltynowicz, “Sub-Dopplerdispersion and noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectroscopy revised,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25(7), 1166–1177 (2008). [CrossRef]
12. A. Foltynowicz, W. Ma, and O. Axner, “Characterization of fiber-laser-based sub-Doppler NICE-OHMS for quantitative trace gas detection,” Opt. Express 16(19), 14689–14702 (2008). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
13. R. W. P. Drever, J. L. H. Hall, F. V. Kowalski, J. Hough, G. M. Ford, A. J. Munley, and H. Ward, “Laser phase and frequency stabilization using optical resonator,” Appl. Phys. B 31(2), 97–105 (1983). [CrossRef]
14. R. G. DeVoe and R. G. Brewer, “Laser frequency division and stabilization,” Phys. Rev. A: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 30, 2827–2829 (1984). [CrossRef]
15. N. C. Wong and J. L. Hall, “Servo control of amplitude modulation in frequency-modulation spectroscopy: demonstration of shot-noise-limited detection,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 2(9), 1527–1533 (1985). [CrossRef]
16. L. S. Rothman, D. Jacquemart, A. Barbe, D. C. Benner, M. Birk, L. R. Brown, M. R. Carleer, C. Chackerian, K. Chance, L. H. Coudert, V. Dana, V. M. Devi, J. M. Flaud, R. R. Gamache, A. Goldman, J. M. Hartmann, K. W. Jucks, A. G. Maki, J. Y. Mandin, S. T. Massie, J. Orphal, A. Perrin, C. P. Rinsland, M. A. H. Smith, J. Tennyson, R. N. Tolchenov, R. A. Toth, J. Vander Auwera, P. Varanasi, and G. Wagner, “The HITRAN 2004 molecular spectroscopic database,” J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 96, 139–204 (2005). [CrossRef]
17. L.-H. Deng, X.-M. Gao, Z.-S. Cao, W.-D. Chen, W.-J. Zhang, and Z.-B. Gong, “Empirical line intensities of methane at 1.51 μm,” J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 103(2), 402–410 (2007). [CrossRef]
18. A. Foltynowicz, F. M. Schmidt, W. Ma, and O. Axner, “Noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectroscopy: Current status and future potential,” Appl. Phys. B 92(3), 313–326 (2008). [CrossRef]
19. J. Ye, L.-S. Ma, and J. L. Hall, “Ultrasensitive detections in atomic and molecular physics: demonstration in molecular overtone spectroscopy,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 15(1), 6 (1998). [CrossRef]

Appl. Phys. B

• R. W. P. Drever, J. L. H. Hall, F. V. Kowalski, J. Hough, G. M. Ford, A. J. Munley, and H. Ward, “Laser phase and frequency stabilization using optical resonator,” Appl. Phys. B 31(2), 97–105 (1983). [CrossRef]
• A. Foltynowicz, F. M. Schmidt, W. Ma, and O. Axner, “Noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectroscopy: Current status and future potential,” Appl. Phys. B 92(3), 313–326 (2008). [CrossRef]

J. Chem. Phys.

• J. Bood, A. McIlroy, and D. L. Osborn, “Measurement of the sixth overtone band of nitric oxide, and its dipole moment function, using cavity-enhanced frequency modulation spectroscopy,” J. Chem. Phys. 124(8), 084311 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

J. Mol. Spectrosc.

• N. J. van Leeuwen, H. G. Kjaergaard, D. L. Howard, and A. C. Wilson, “Measurement of ultraweak transitions in the visible region of molecular oxygen,” J. Mol. Spectrosc. 228(1), 83–91 (2004). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

• N. J. van Leeuwen and A. C. Wilson, “Measurement of pressure-broadened, ultraweak transitions with noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectroscopy,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 21(10), 1713–1721 (2004). [CrossRef]
• A. Foltynowicz, W. Ma, F. M. Schmidt, and O. Axner, “Doppler-broadened noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectrometry signals from optically saturated transitions under low pressure conditions,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25(7), 1156–1165 (2008). [CrossRef]
• F. M. Schmidt, A. Foltynowicz, W. Ma, and O. Axner, “Fiber-laser-based noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectrometry for Doppler-broadened detection of C2H2 in the parts per trillion range,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 24(6), 1392–1405 (2007). [CrossRef]
• L. S. Ma, J. Ye, P. Dube, and J. L. Hall, “Ultrasensitive frequency-modulation spectroscopy enhanced by a high-finesse optical cavity: theory and application to overtone transitions of C2H2 and C2HD,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 16(12), 2255–2268 (1999). [CrossRef]
• L. Gianfrani, R. W. Fox, and L. Hollberg, “Cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy of molecular oxygen,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 16(12), 2247–2254 (1999). [CrossRef]
• J. Ye, L.-S. Ma, and J. L. Hall, “Ultrasensitive detections in atomic and molecular physics: demonstration in molecular overtone spectroscopy,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 15(1), 6 (1998). [CrossRef]
• N. C. Wong and J. L. Hall, “Servo control of amplitude modulation in frequency-modulation spectroscopy: demonstration of shot-noise-limited detection,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 2(9), 1527–1533 (1985). [CrossRef]
• O. Axner, W. Ma, and A. Foltynowicz, “Sub-Dopplerdispersion and noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectroscopy revised,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25(7), 1166–1177 (2008). [CrossRef]

J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf.

• L. S. Rothman, D. Jacquemart, A. Barbe, D. C. Benner, M. Birk, L. R. Brown, M. R. Carleer, C. Chackerian, K. Chance, L. H. Coudert, V. Dana, V. M. Devi, J. M. Flaud, R. R. Gamache, A. Goldman, J. M. Hartmann, K. W. Jucks, A. G. Maki, J. Y. Mandin, S. T. Massie, J. Orphal, A. Perrin, C. P. Rinsland, M. A. H. Smith, J. Tennyson, R. N. Tolchenov, R. A. Toth, J. Vander Auwera, P. Varanasi, and G. Wagner, “The HITRAN 2004 molecular spectroscopic database,” J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 96, 139–204 (2005). [CrossRef]
• L.-H. Deng, X.-M. Gao, Z.-S. Cao, W.-D. Chen, W.-J. Zhang, and Z.-B. Gong, “Empirical line intensities of methane at 1.51 μm,” J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 103(2), 402–410 (2007). [CrossRef]

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.

• C. Ishibashi and H. Sasada, “Highly sensitive cavity-enhanced sub-Doppler spectroscopy of a molecular overtone band with a 1.66 mm tunable diode laser,” Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 38(Part 1, No 2A), 920–922 (1999). [CrossRef]

Opt. Express

• F. Schmidt, A. Foltynowicz, W. Ma, T. Lock, and O. Axner, “Doppler-broadened fiber-laser-based NICE-OHMS – Improved detectability,” Opt. Express 15(17), 10822–10831 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• A. Foltynowicz, W. Ma, and O. Axner, “Characterization of fiber-laser-based sub-Doppler NICE-OHMS for quantitative trace gas detection,” Opt. Express 16(19), 14689–14702 (2008). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. Rev. A: At. Mol. Opt. Phys.

• R. G. DeVoe and R. G. Brewer, “Laser frequency division and stabilization,” Phys. Rev. A: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 30, 2827–2829 (1984). [CrossRef]

Spectrochim. Acta A Mol. Biomol. Spectrosc.

• M. S. Taubman, T. L. Myers, B. D. Cannon, and R. M. Williams, “Stabilization, injection and control of quantum cascade lasers, and their application to chemical sensing in the infrared,” Spectrochim. Acta A Mol. Biomol. Spectrosc. 60(14), 3457–3468 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

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