Ig. Calasso et Mw. Sigrist, Selection criteria for microphones used in pulsed nonresonant gas-phase photoacoustics, REV SCI INS, 70(12), 1999, pp. 4569-4578
Theoretical and experimental investigations aimed at optimizing the detecti
on performance in nonresonant pulsed photoacoustic (PA) studies in the gas
phase by selecting microphones with appropriate characteristics are present
ed. An analytical function is introduced that allows the simulation of the
measured signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) for given microphone specifications. T
he crucial parameters for maximum SNR are the microphone responsivity, its
bandwidth, and noise characteristics. Good agreement between calculated and
measured PA signal shapes and their fast Fourier transform spectra is obta
ined. Comparisons of experimental data recorded in a gas mixture of 100 ppm
ethylene buffered in synthetic air with various condenser and electret mic
rophones with different characteristics confirm our theoretical predictions
. The peak amplitude of the recorded microphone signal increases with decre
asing laser beam radius r(b). However, for standard microphones with a band
width of approximate to 20 kHz, there is no reason to use r(b) < 0.5 mm bec
ause the spectral composition of the signal shape for frequencies < 20 kHz
remains unchanged. A large microphone bandwidth of a few 100 kHz is advanta
geous for resolving the temporal evolution of the PA signal but it can be d
isadvantageous for trace gas monitoring due to an enhanced noise level. Our
simulation permits the selection of the most appropriate microphone for ma
ximum SNR under given experimental conditions. Finally, an analysis on the
pressure dependence of the responsivity of a selected microphone is present
ed that is of interest when performing trace gas measurements at reduced pr
essure to enhance the detection selectivity. (C) 1999 American Institute of
Physics. [S0034-6748(99)02312-6].