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Science 13 October 1978:
Vol. 202. no. 4364, pp. 157 - 173
DOI: 10.1126/science.202.4364.157
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Articles

Laser Detection of Pollution

C. K. N. Patel 1

1 Director of the Physical Research Laboratory at Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974

Spectroscopic analysis is a useful technique for identifying and quantitatively determining the presence of specific gaseous constituents. Development of high-power tunable lasers has made the spectroscopic technique for detection of trace constituents in the atmosphere very attractive for practical applications. In this article three of the currently used modes for laser detection of pollution are reviewed: (i) long-path measurements, (ii) laser Raman (differential absorption) measurements, and (iii) optoacoustic detection. Progress in the field has been extremely rapid in the last few years and very useful and reliable data on air pollution can now be obtained routinely with the techniques described.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)