Stratospheric species measurements with tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy

A balloon-borne instrument for stratospheric research has been developed with the capability to simultaneously measure several chemically related species in situ, for a full diurnal cycle. The instrument utilizes tunable infrared diode lasers (TDLs) to provide the radiation in selected wavelength regions for sensitive absorption spectroscopy over a one-km round-trip path. The TDL radiation is directed to a remote retroreflector which is lowered 500 m below the instrument gondola. A HeNe laser and co-aligned TV camera with CID imaging are used for retroreflector tracking. Currently the instrument operates with two TDLs, and the capability exists to measure four stratospheric species: NO, NO2, O3, and H2O. The number of operating TDLs can be expanded to four, resulting in the possibility of measuring several additional trace species.