•Our main focus is the development of high-speed, high-resolution spectroscopy systems for sensing of atoms and molecules, ranging from gases to rare earth elements (REE) in solids.

•We employ swept-wavelength external cavity quantum cascade lasers (ECQCLs) in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) where the broad tuning range of the ECQCL is utilized to identify the molecular “fingerprint” of various gases. 

•For solid samples, we use laser-produced plasmas (LPPs) as a sampling technique for solids. Upon ablation of the solid sample by an intense laser pulse, the light emitted by the plasma can be analyzed using a high-resolution spectrometer—a technique known as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)—to identify the elemental composition of the solid material. We have also pioneered the use of dual comb spectroscopy (DCS) for LPP. Instead of using emission from a plasma (like LIBS), the plasma is probed by a broadband dual frequency comb (DFC) source. The DFC absorption spectra will yield the elemental, and possibly, molecular, composition of the sample.

•Both ECQCL and LPP spectroscopy (LIBS and DCS) can be performed in situ and results can be analyzed in near real-time. This can be advantageous compared to more traditional techniques, such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.