Infrared Molecular Gas Lasers: The Only Tool for Target Applications

Novel thermally balanced molecular gas lasers offer high-frequency stability and accuracy for remote, active detection of resonant molecules. Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) may have a wider spectral range, but CO₂ lasers retain significant advantages in spatial mode quality, spectral purity, and output power.

Applications covered include medical breath diagnostics, soft- and all-tissue dental surgery, air quality monitoring, and mobile stand-off detection of sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆). The latter is achieved by leveraging the multiwatt power of discrete transitions and thereby providing a powerful tool for monitoring the leak rate in switchgear and medium- to ultrahigh-voltage (UHV) transmission lines.