Alex Dinovitser

Stabilized master laser system for differential absorption lidar.

Wavelength accuracy and stability are key requirements for differential absorption lidar (DIAL). We present a control and timing design for the dual-stabilized cw master lasers in a pulsed master-oscillator power-amplifier configuration, which forms a robust low-cost water-vapor DIAL transmitter system. This design operates at 823 nm for water-vapor spectroscopy using Fabry-Perot-type laser diodes. However, the techniques described could be applied to other laser technologies at other wavelengths. The system can be extended with additional off-line or side-line wavelengths. The on-line master laser is locked to the center of a water absorption line, while the beat frequency between the on-line and the off-line is locked to 16 GHz using only a bandpass microwave filter and low-frequency electronics. Optical frequency stabilities of the order of 1 MHz are achieved.

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy of edible oils.

Chemical degradation of edible oils has been studied using conventional spectroscopic methods spanning the spectrum from ultraviolet to mid-IR. However, the possibility of morphological changes of oil molecules that can be detected at terahertz frequencies is beginning to receive some attention. Furthermore, the rapidly decreasing cost of this technology and its capability for convenient, in situ measurement of material properties, raises the possibility of monitoring oil during cooking and processing at production facilities, and more generally within the food industry. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that oil undergoes chemical and physical changes when heated above the smoke point, which can be detected in the 0.05–2 THz spectral range, measured using the conventional terahertz time-domain spectroscopy technique. The measurements demonstrate a null result in that there is no significant change in the spectra of terahertz optical parameters after heating above the smoke point for 5 min.

Terahertz Signal Classification Based on Geometric Algebra

This paper presents an approach to classification of substances based on their terahertz spectra. We use geometric algebra to provide a concise mathematical means for attacking the classification problem in a coordinate-free form. For the first time, this allows us to perform classification independently of dispersion and, hence, independently of the transmission path length through the sample. Finally, we validate the approach with experimental data. In principle, the coordinate-free transformation can be extended to all types of pulsed signals, such as pulsed microwaves or even acoustic signals in the field of seismology. Our source code for classification based on geometric algebra is publicly available at: https://github.com/swuzhousl/Shengling-zhou/blob/geometricalgebra-classifier/GAclassifier/.

Towards quantitative atmospheric water vapor profiling with differential absorption lidar

Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) is a powerful laser-based technique for trace gas profiling of the atmosphere. However, this technique is still under active development requiring precise and accurate wavelength stabilization, as well as accurate spectroscopic parameters of the specific resonance line and the effective absorption cross-section of the system. In this paper we describe a novel master laser system that extends our previous work for robust stabilization to virtually any number of multiple side-line laser wavelengths for the future probing to greater altitudes. In this paper, we also highlight the significance of laser spectral purity on DIAL accuracy, and illustrate a simple re-arrangement of a system for measuring effective absorption cross-section. We present a calibration technique where the laser light is guided to an absorption cell with 33 m path length, and a quantitative number density measurement is then used to obtain the effective absorption cross-section. The same absorption cell is then used for on-line laser stabilization, while microwave beat-frequencies are used to stabilize any number of off-line lasers. We present preliminary results using ∼300 nJ, 1 μs pulses at 3 kHz, with the seed laser operating as a nanojoule transmitter at 822.922 nm, and a receiver consisting of a photomultiplier tube (PMT) coupled to a 356 mm mirror.

Towards low-cost water-vapour differential absorption lidar

We report on the development of a low-cost differential absorption lidar (DIAL) for profiling water vapour in the lower atmosphere. It uses diode lasers in the 830nm region, differing from previously constructed water DIAL systems in having a double master laser design with active stabilisation of both wavelengths. We present measurements of backscatter coefficients of aerosols over Adelaide that feed into a sensitivity analysis, as well as initial DIAL measurements.