Utilizing scattering to further enhance integrating cavity-enhanced spectroscopy

Abstract

Spectroscopic optical characterization and identification of molecular structures and complex systems would greatly benefit from new technologies capable of analyzing molecular species in small quantities with maximum sensitivity and specificity. Integrating cavity-enhanced spectroscopy has recently been shown as a viable tool for achieving this goal. This technique could greatly benefit from methods for further enhancing the desired spectroscopic signal, allowing for lower detection limits. Here, we present a simple method to further enhance fluorescence signal generated inside an integrating cavity by introducing additional scattering to the sample of interest.

Keywords:

• integrating cavity
• fluorescence enhancement
• environmental sensing
• fluorescence spectroscopy

Acknowledgements

JNB would like to acknowledge support from the Department of Defense Pathways internship. BHH would like to acknowledge a graduate fellowship from the Department of Defense Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) fellowship program.

Notes

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was partially supported by National Science Foundation [grant number ECCS-1509268], [DBI-1455671], and [CBET-1250363].