Broadband gas phase absorber detection and quantification by chirped laser dispersion spectroscopy at 1.55†µm.

The demonstration and first evaluation of chirped laser dispersion spectroscopy (CLaDS) for quantitative measurements of gas molecules with broad spectral features is reported. The demonstration is conducted on propyne (methyl acetylene) gas, using a widely tunable external cavity near infrared laser, λ ≈ 1.55 µm, whose frequency can be swept at 2.6 MHz/µs. A direct baseband downconversion scheme is implemented to recover molecular dispersion, with a cost-effective 32 GHz radio frequency architecture. Laboratory tests demonstrate in particular the value of laser dispersion spectroscopy for the sensing of turbid media with a large range of variations, owing to a significant immunity of the detection scheme to variations in received optical power. Normalized minimum concentration measurable in the 1.5 ms scan is ∼0.7 ppm.m.√Hz.

Multi-octave metamaterial reflective half-wave plate for millimeter and sub-millimeter wave applications.

The quasi-optical modulation of linear polarization at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths can be achieved by using rotating half-wave plates (HWPs) in front of polarization-sensitive detectors. Large operational bandwidths are required when the same device is meant to work simultaneously across different frequency bands. Previous realizations of half-wave plates, ranging from birefringent multi-plates to mesh-based devices, have achieved bandwidths of the order of 100%. Here we present the design and experimental characterization of a reflective HWP able to work across bandwidths of the order of 150%. The working principle of the novel device is completely different from any previous realization, and it is based on the different phase-shift experienced by two orthogonal polarizations reflecting, respectively, off an electric conductor and an artificial magnetic conductor.