Broadband cantilever-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy in the mid-IR using supercontinuum

Abstract

We demonstrate cantilever-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy in the mid-infrared using a supercontinuum source. The approach is broadband, compact, and allows for higher photoacoustic signal intensity and enhanced signal-to-noise ratio as compared to systems employing conventional back body radiation sources. Using this technique, we perform spectroscopic measurements of the full ro-vibrational band structure of water vapor at 1900 nm and methane at 3300 nm with relative signal enhancement factors of 70 and 19, respectively, when compared to measurements that use a black body radiation source. Our results offer novel perspective for photoacoustic detection opening the door to compact and sensitive broadband analyzers in the mid-infrared spectral region.