Patent ID: 9329123
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: G01J,G01N,H01S

Claim Text:
1. A method of generating and processing a real-time time-domain cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) signal from an absorbing species in an optical detection system having an optical ringdown cavity, said optical ringdown cavity adapted for accepting a sample of an absorbing species, said method comprising: generating modulated light signals using a plurality of light sources having different wavelengths, the light sources being pulsed at specified pulse rates, each modulated light signal having a plurality of harmonic frequency components for a respective pulse; simultaneously resonating said modulated light signals using the optical ringdown cavity comprising a plurality of mirrors to produce the CRDS signal, each mirror having the same or substantially the same reflectivity, the selectivity of said mirrors dependent upon said pulse rate of said modulated light signals and reflectivities of said mirrors, different beamlines being established by said modulated light signals and said mirrors interacting with the absorbing species sample; and simultaneously demodulating using a single photodetector the CRDS signal dependent upon selected harmonics of the modulated light signals, each beamline being detected simultaneously using the single photodetector.