Development of a versatile atmospheric N2O sensor based on quantum cascade laser technology at 4.5 μm

We report the development of a field-deployable infrared laser spectrometer using new quantum cascade laser technology at 4.5 mu m. The instrument is designed to measure in situ N2O concentrations at ground level even in bad weather conditions. We provide details of the instrument design and data processing. The long-term stability of the instrument was evaluated using the Allan variance technique. A preliminary evaluation of the instrument performance was realized by in situ measurements of N2O concentration outside the laboratory.