Atmospheric Measurement Techniques www.atmos-meas-tech.net 1867-1381 1867-8548 3 2 2010 10.5194/amt-3-397-2010 http://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/3/397/2010/ http://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/3/397/2010/amt-3-397-2010.html http://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/3/397/2010/amt-3-397-2010.pdf 397 406 2010-03-30 Characterizing a Quantum Cascade Tunable Infrared Laser Differential Absorption Spectrometer (QC-TILDAS) for measurements of atmospheric ammonia R. A. Ellis J. G. Murphy jmurphy@chem.utoronto.ca E. Pattey R. van Haarlem J. M. O'Brien S. C. Herndon Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George St., Toronto, ON, M6P 2S1, Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Research Branch, 960 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0C6, Canada Environment Canada, Science and Technology Branch, Air Quality Research Division, 4905 Dufferin St., Toronto, ON, M3H 5T4, Canada Aerodyne Research Inc., 45 Manning Road, Billerica, MA, 01821-3976, USA A compact, fast-response Quantum Cascade Tunable Infrared Laser Differential Absorption Spectrometer (QC-TILDAS) for measurements of ammonia (NH₃) has been evaluated under both laboratory and field conditions. Absorption of radiation from a pulsed, thermoelectrically cooled QC laser occurs at reduced pressure in a 0.5 L multiple pass absorption cell with an effective path length of 76 m. Detection is achieved using a thermoelectrically-cooled Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) infrared detector. A novel sampling inlet was used, consisting of a short, heated, quartz tube with a hydrophobic coating to minimize the adsorption of NH₃ to surfaces. The inlet contains a critical orifice that reduces the pressure, a virtual impactor for separation of particles, and additional ports for delivering NH₃-free background air and calibration gas standards. The level of noise in this instrument has been found to be 0.23 ppb at 1 Hz. The sampling technique has been compared to the results of a conventional lead salt Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectrometer (TDLAS) during a laboratory intercomparison. The effect of humidity and heat on the surface interaction of NH₃ with sample tubing was investigated at mixing ratios ranging from 30–1000 ppb. Humidity was seen to worsen the NH₃ time response and considerable improvement was observed when using a heated sampling line. 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