HETERODYNE SPECTROPHOTOMETRY OF OZONE IN THE 9.6-MU-M BAND USING A TUNABLE DIODE-LASER

Tunable diode laser heterodyne spectrophotometry (TDLHS) has been used to make extremely high resolution (0.0003 cm-1) solar spectra in the 9.6-μm ozone band. Observations have shown that a signal-to-noise ratio of 120:1 (~30% of theoretical) for an integration time of 1/8 s can be achieved at a resolution of 0.0013 wave numbers. The spectral data have been inverted to yield a total column amount of ozone, in good agreement with that measured at the nearby National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ozone monitoring facility in Boulder, Colorado. Line positions for several ozone lines in the spectral region 996-997 cm-1 are reported. Recent improvements have produced a signal-to-noise ratio of 95:1 (~40% of theoretical) at 0.0003 cm-1 and extended the range of wavelengths which can be observed. -Authors