High resolution fourier transform spectroscopy of environmentally hazardous gases at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths

Dispersive Fourier transform techniques in interferometry allow for the very precise measurement of absorption coefficient and refractive index spectra of gases. This paper presents the absorption coefficient and refractive index spectra of environmentally hazardous gases at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. In order to gain insight into the behavior of the spectral lines with varying parameters, each gas is measured at a number of different pressures. Our measurements of these pollutant gases show how the spectral signatures of gases change under different conditions. This information is critical in air pollution studies when trying to single out a specific gas from a field sample with unknown constituents at unknown pressures.