Precision Spectroscopy of Nitrous Oxide Isotopocules with a Cross-Dispersed Spectrometer and Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb

Abstract

As a potent greenhouse gas and ozone depleting agent, nitrous oxide (N$_2$O) plays a critical role in the global climate. Effective mitigation relies on understanding global sources and sinks which can be supported through isotopic analysis. We present a cross-dispersed spectrometer, coupled with a mid-infrared frequency comb, capable of simultaneously monitoring all singly substituted, stable isotopic variants of N$_2$O. Rigorous evaluation of the instrument lineshape function and data treatment are discussed. Laboratory characterization of the spectrometer demonstrates sub-GHz spectral resolution and an average precision of $7.4\times10^{-6}$ for fractional isotopic abundance retrievals in 1 s.