Cavity-enhanced cantilever-enhanced photo-acoustic spectroscopy

We have improved the sensitivity of a state-of-the-art cantilever-enhanced photo-acoustic trace gas sensor by combining it with an optical power build-up cavity. The build-up cavity enhances the photo-acoustic signal by a factor of approximate to 100, resulting in an exceptionally good normalised noise equivalent absorption (NNEA) value of 1.75 x 10(-12) W cm(-1) Hz(-1/2). We demonstrate the sensor platform in the 1530 nm wavelength range with a simple distributed feedback diode laser, achieving 75 ppt sensitivity for C2H2 with a 10 s integration time.