Continuous-Wave CO2 Laser-Excited Infrared Emission Spectroscopy

Radiation of a cw CO2 laser can be used to excite infrared emission spectra of nearly all molecular gases by adding small amounts of SF6 as a sensitizer. These emission spectra show a thermal equilibrium between vibrational, rotational, and translational states with temperatures up to 1200 K. Temperature profiles of these gases about a focused cw CO2 laser beam are analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. The detection of small amounts of sample and investigations of cw laser-induced chemical reactions are interesting potential applications.