Wavelength-modulation detection of acetylene with a near-infrared external-cavity diode laser

An external-cavity diode laser operating at 1500 nm was used to record the combination band of acetylene (C2H2). By combination of wavelength-modulation spectroscopy with a noise-canceler detection circuit, a minimum detectable absorbance of 4.8 x 10-4 with a 300-ms time constant was achieved, although this result was limited by etalon fringes. When combined with this detection technique, continuous, widely tunable output from an external-cavity laser is ideally suited for high-resolution absorption spectroscopy with excellent sensitivity