Special Issue: Trends in laser sources, spectroscopic techniques and their applications to trace-gas detection

In September and October 1998, Applied Physics B – Lasers and Optics featured a special issue on environmental trace-gas detection using laser spectroscopy, edited by Frank K. Tittel. Since then, many research groups have made significant progress in the development of tunable laser sources, advanced spectroscopic techniques and the range of new and effective trace gas absorption applications. In fact, as evident in this special issue, many of the reported technologies have started to move into commercial markets, clearly a sign of the mature status and unique advantages that can be gained by laser spectroscopy-based instrumentation. The papers in this special issue are clearly indicative of the growth in the number of applications as well as the number of new approaches employing laser-based spectroscopic instruments. We can anticipate that many more applications will be emerging with the development of very robust, user-friendly and reliable laser-based spectroscopic instrumentation. These instruments are destined to improve all sectors of our life, including the environment, medicine, agriculture, industrial process control, advanced fire detection and law enforcement.

With this special issue we hope to document the present state of progress that has been achieved in spectroscopic laser-based gas sensing, spanning from the visible to the far–mid-infrared spectral regions. The papers of this issue have been assembled according to the wavelength region and their subject areas.

We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Frank Träger, editor-in-chief, for giving us the opportunity to edit this special issue and bringing it to publication in less than six months. This would not have been possible without the timely submission of excellent contributed papers and the help of constructive peer reviewers. This very short time to publication was also made possible by submission and processing of all manuscripts electronically.

Our special thanks go to Victoria Schutter (Rice University), Daniela Schiller (University of Kassel), Petra Meyer-vom Hagen (Springer-Verlag) and Marlene Hillen (Springer-Verlag) for their outstanding support in assembling this special issue.

Boulder, Houston September 2002

Dirk Richter, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

Alan Fried, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

Frank K. Tittel, Rice University, Houston, Texas