Knowledge Bank

Formaldehyde (HCHO) plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry as it is an oxidation product of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a major source for $HOx$ radicals. We will present results from field measurements taken during Biosphere Effects on Aerosols and Photochemistry Experiment (BEARPEX) 2009 using FIber Laser-Induced Fluorescence (FILIF) detection of HCHO. Central to the FILIF technique is the first of a new class of UV fiber lasers from NovaWave Technologies. By using this narrow bandwidth ($\<$ 300 MHz) UV laser to excite a rotational feature in the $401 A1A2$$\leftarrow$$X1A1$ band at 353 nm, this technique is capable of very high HCHO sensitivity and selectivity . The combination of low power comsumption and weight, compact size, and ruggedness, provides an instrument ideally suited to field measurements.