ABSTRACT
Intracavity laser (ICL) spectroscopy has become one of the powerful and sensitive methods for performing absorption and emission spectral analysis. The ICL technique is capable of detecting absorption or amplification coefficients in the range of 10−11 cm−1. This corresponds to a path length of about 107 m in classical spectroscopy. Intracavity laser spectroscopy is widely used in molecular spectroscopy, environmental monitoring, plasma diagnostics, and chemical reaction kinetics. This entry discusses the main principles of the method including laser parameters dependence, obtaining quantitative information on the spectral line profile, nonlinear mode interaction and spectral dependence of the gain profile on detection limit of an ICL spectrometer, “spectral memory” effect, and its manifestation in short-time absorption recording. The requirements on the laser and the design of ICL spectrometer are presented. The basic features of the ICL spectroscopy in molecular study are reviewed.
