Absorption coefficients of various pollutant gases at CO(2) laser wavelengths; application to the remote sensing of those pollutants.

A two-wavelength CO(2) laser designed for atmospheric pollution measurements has been used for determining the absorption coefficients of thirteen gas pollutants at CO(2) laser lines between 9.2 microm and 10.8 microm. All measurements were done with the pollutant at a low pressure in the presence of 1 atm of air. Sensitivities of about 5 ppb for a 1-km path have been obtained for ethylene.