US company develops high sensitivity gas detector based on novel laser technology

Describes a unique optical source, the quantum cascade laser (QCL) and its application to gas detection. The instruments can detect both nitric oxide and carbon monoxide at concentrations down to 10 ppb m at atmospheric temperature and pressure with a 1 m absorption path‐length. A QCL operating at 5.8 μm can be used during airborne surveys of atmospheric formaldehyde, a key intermediate in the oxidation of methane and other hydrocarbons which contribute to the formation of ozone precursors.