Ultrasensitive Absorption Spectroscopy in Planetary Studies:Intracavity Laser Measurements

亚利桑那大学的阿特金森、亨滕和卢宁博士将 使用广泛适用的实验室光谱技术来研究 甲烷几个吸收带的详细特征 以及氨和氢的分子， 619纳米和725纳米的分辨率宽带测量 纳米波段的甲烷，这已经研究了与先前的NSF 支持. 行星大气层的研究在很大程度上依赖于光谱 分子吸收线的测量，例如 甲烷氨和氢 必要的数据包括 分子线强度和碰撞增宽系数， 特别是在低温下。 在过去的两年里，博士。 阿特金森和他的同事们已经开发并验证了一种腔内 激光光谱（ILS）技术，用于测量线 窄谱线的强度和压力展宽系数 在甲烷的619纳米波段。 他们还开发了一种 使用ILS使宽带、低分辨率 解释滤光片光度测定所需的测量。 与 这些科学家目前的拨款将扩大这些ILS， 测量到其他波段和分子种类的 对行星科学感兴趣。

Drs. Atkinson, Hunten, and Lunine at the University of Arizona will use a broadly applicable laboratory spectroscopy technique to study the detailed characteristics of several absorption bands of methane and molecules of ammonia and hydrogen, and to perform low resolution broadband measurements of the 619 nanometer and 725 nanometer bands of methane, which have been studied with prior NSF support. Study of planetary atmospheres relies heavily on spectroscopic measurements of molecular absorption lines such as those of methane, ammonia, and hydrogen. Among the necessary data are molecular line intensities and collisional broadening ceofficients, particularly at low temperatures. Over the past two years Dr. Atkinson and colleagues have developed and validated an intracavity laser spectroscopy (ILS) technique which was used to measure line intensities and pressure broadening coefficients of narrow lines in the 619 nanometer band of methane. They also developed a technique for using ILS to make broadband, low resolution, measurements necessary for interpreting filter photometry. With the current grant these scientists will expand these ILS measurements to other wavelength bands and molecular species of interest in planetary sciences.