Broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy in the ultraviolet  spectral region for measurements of nitrogen dioxide and  formaldehyde

Washenfelder, R. A.; Attwood, A. R.; Flores, J. M.; Zarzana, K. J.; Rudich, Y.; Brown, S. S.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-41-2016

Articles | Volume 9, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-41-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-41-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 9, issue 1

Research article

|

15 Jan 2016

Research article |

| 15 Jan 2016

Broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy in the ultraviolet spectral region for measurements of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde

R. A. Washenfelder, A. R. Attwood, J. M. Flores, K. J. Zarzana, Y. Rudich, and S. S. Brown

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Final revised paper (published on 15 Jan 2016)
Preprint (discussion started on 24 Sep 2015)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

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- Supplement

RC C3337: 'Referee's comments', Anonymous Referee #1, 19 Oct 2015
- AC C3763: 'Response to Reviewer 1', Rebecca Washenfelder, 07 Nov 2015
RC C3340: 'Review:Washenfelder et al.: Broadband cavity enhanced spectroscopy in the UV spectral region', Anonymous Referee #2, 19 Oct 2015
- AC C3764: 'Response to Reviewer 2', Rebecca Washenfelder, 07 Nov 2015
RC C3499: 'Comment', Anonymous Referee #3, 24 Oct 2015
- AC C3765: 'Response to Reviewer 3', Rebecca Washenfelder, 07 Nov 2015
SC C3944: 'Comment on "Broadband cavity enhanced spectroscopy in the ultraviolet spectral region for measurements of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde"', Ryan Thalman, 19 Nov 2015
- AC C4075: 'Response to Ryan Thalman Comment', Rebecca Washenfelder, 25 Nov 2015

Short summary

Formaldehyde is the most abundant aldehyde in the atmosphere and plays an important role in photochemistry. Broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy uses a high finesse cavity to obtain effective path lengths of kilometers. We use a diode-pumped plasma lamp and custom cavity mirrors to extend this technique further into the ultraviolet spectral region, and we achieve detection limits of hundreds of parts per trillion in 1 min for formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide.