Absorption spectroscopy (AS) represents a reliable method for the characterization of cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets. The method's simplicity stands out in comparison to competing diagnostic techniques. AS is an in situ, non-invasive technique giving absolute densities, free of calibration procedures, which other diagnostics, such as laser-induced fluorescence or optical emission spectroscopy, have to rely on. Ground state densities can be determined without the knowledge of the influence of collisional quenching. Therefore, absolute densities determined by absorption spectroscopy can be taken as calibration for other methods. In this paper, fundamentals of absorption spectroscopy are presented as an entrance to the topic. In the second part of the manuscript, a review of AS performed on cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets, as they are used e.g. in the field of plasma medicine, is presented. The focus is set on special techniques overcoming not only the drawback of spectrally overlapping absorbing species, but also the line-of-sight densities that AS usually provides or the necessity of sufficiently long absorption lengths. Where references are not available for measurements on cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets, other plasma sources including low-pressure plasmas are taken as an example to give suggestions for possible approaches. The final part is a table summarizing examples of absorption spectroscopic measurements on cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets. With this, the paper provides a 'best practice' guideline and gives a compendium of works by groups performing absorption spectroscopy on cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets.

HO 2 reaction kinetics in an atmospheric pressure plasma jet determined by cavity ring-down spectroscopyTo cite this article before publication: Michele Gianella et al 2018 Plasma Sources Sci.

A continuous wave external cavity quantum cascade laser ͑EC-QCL͒ operating between 1872 and 1958 cm −1 has been used to make rotationally resolved measurements in the fundamental band of nitric oxide at 140 mTorr, and the 2 band of water at atmospheric pressure. These measurements demonstrate the advantages of wide tunability and high resolution of the EC-QCL system. From direct absorption spectroscopy on nitric oxide a laser bandwidth of 20 MHz has been deduced and a sensitivity of 8.4ϫ 10 −4 cm −1 Hz −1/2 was achieved. Wavelength modulation spectroscopy using current modulation enhances the sensitivity by a factor of 23 to 3.7ϫ 10 −5 cm −1 Hz −1/2 .

Context. Microwave discharge hydrogen-flow lamps have been used for more than half a century to simulate interstellar ultraviolet radiation fields in the laboratory. Recent discrepancies between identical measurements in different laboratories, as well as clear wavelength dependent results obtained in monochromatic (synchrotron) experiments, hint at a more elaborate dependence on the exact discharge settings than assumed so far. Aims. We have investigated systematically two lamp geometries in full dependence of a large number of different running conditions and the spectral emission patterns are characterized for the first time with fully calibrated absolute flux numbers. Methods. A sophisticated plasma lamp calibration set-up has been used to record the vacuum-ultraviolet emission spectra with a spectral resolution of 0.5 nm and bandwidth of 1.6 nm in the 116-220 nm region. Spectra are compared with the output of a calibrated D 2 -lamp which allows a derivation of absolute radiance values. Results. The general findings of over 200 individual measurements are presented, illustrating how the lamp emission pattern depends on i) microwave power; ii) gas and gas mixing ratios; iii) discharge lamp geometry; iv) cavity positioning; and v) gas pressure.

A high-resolution absorption spectrum of gaseous acetone near 8.2 μm has been taken using both Fourier transform and quantum cascade laser (QCL)-based infrared spectrometers. Absolute absorption cross sections within the 1215-1222 cm(-1) range have been determined, and the spectral window around 1216.5 cm(-1) (σ = 3.4 × 10(-19) cm(2) molecule(-1)) has been chosen for monitoring trace acetone in exhaled breath. Acetone at sub parts-per-million (ppm) levels has been measured in a breath sample with a precision of 0.17 ppm (1σ) by utilizing a cavity enhanced absorption spectrometer constructed from the QCL source and a linear, low-volume, optical cavity. The use of a water vapor trap ensured the accuracy of the results, which have been corroborated by mass spectrometric measurements.

Trace gas sensing in the mid-infrared using quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) promises high specificity and sensitivity. We report on the performance of a simple cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) sensor using a continuous wave external-cavity QCL at 7.4 μm. A noise-equivalent absorption coefficient αmin of 2.6 × 10–8 cm–1 in 625 s was achieved, which corresponds to a detection limit of 6 ± 1 ppb of CH4 in 15 millibars air for the R(3) transition at 1327.074 cm–1. This is the highest value of noise-equivalent absorption and among the longest effective path length (1780 m) reported to date with QCL-based CEAS.

Articles you may be interested inElectron density and temperature measurement by continuum radiation emitted from weakly ionized atmospheric pressure plasmas Appl. Phys. Lett.Electron density and temperature measurement method by using emission spectroscopy in atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium nitrogen plasmas Phys. Plasmas 13, 093501 (2006);

In a distributed antenna array (DAA) reactor, microwave H 2 plasmas with admixtures of 2.5% CH 4 and 1% CO 2 used for the deposition of nanocrystalline diamond films have been studied by infrared absorption and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) techniques. The experiments were carried out in order to analyze the dependence of plasma chemical phenomena on power and pressure at relatively low pressures, up to 0.55 mbar, and power values, up to 3 kW. The evolution of the concentration of the methyl radical, CH 3 , and of five stable molecules, CH 4 , CO 2 , CO, C 2 H 2 and C 2 H 6 , was monitored in the plasma processes by in situ infrared laser absorption spectroscopy using lead salt diode lasers (TDL) and external-cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCL) as radiation sources. OES was applied simultaneously to obtain complementary information about the degree of dissociation of the H 2 precursor gas and of its gas temperature. The experimental results are presented in two separate parts. In Part I, the present paper, the measurement of the gas (T gas ), rotational (T rot ) and vibrational (T vib ) temperatures of the various species in the complex plasma was the main focus of interest. To achieve reliable values for the gas temperature inside and outside the plasma bulk as well as for the rotational and vibrational temperatures in the plasma hot zones, which are of great importance for calculation of species concentrations, five different methods based on the emission and absorption spectroscopy data of H 2 , CH 4 , CH 3 and CO have been used. In these, line profile analysis has been combined with Boltzmann plot methods. Based on the wide tuning range of the EC-QCL, a variety of CO lines in the ground and three excited states was measured enabling extensive temperature analysis providing new insight into the energetic aspects of this multi-component plasma. Depending on the different plasma zones the gas temperature was found to range between about 360 and 1000 K inside the DAA reactor. In Part II, based on detailed concentration measurements general plasma chemical aspects will be analyzed and discussed.