Pressure broadening of oxygen by water

A need for precise air-mass retrievals utilizing the near-infrared O2 A-band has motivated measurements of the water-broadening in oxygen. Experimental challenges have resulted in very little water broadened oxygen data. Existing water broadening data for the O2 A-band is of insufficient precision for application to the atmospheric data. Line shape theory suggests that approximate O2 pressure broadening parameters for one spectral region, such as the A-band, may be obtained from comparable spectral regions such as the O2 60 GHz Q-branch, which is also used prominently in remote sensing. We have measured precise O2–H2O broadening for the 60 GHz Q-branch and the pure-rotational transitions at room temperature with a Zeeman-modulated absorption cell using a frequency-multiplier spectrometer. Intercomparisons of these data and other O2 pressure broadening data sets confirm the expectation of only minor band-to-band scaling of pressure broadening. The measurement provides a basis for fundamental parameterization of retrieval codes for the long-wavelength atmospheric measured values. Finally, we demonstrate the use of these measurements for retrievals of air-mass via remote sensing of the oxygen A-band. -- Highlights: • Direct measurement of the effect of humidity on air-mass and temperature retrievals. • First comprehensive measurement of water broadening of the 60 GHz oxygen band. • Inter-comparison of oxygen broadening parameters for different electronic states