Autor: |
George, Midhun, Andrés Hernández, Maria Dolores, Nenakhov, Vladyslav, Liu, Yangzhuoran, Burrows, John Philip |
Jazyk: |
angličtina |
Rok vydání: |
2020 |
ISSN: |
1867-8548 |
Popis: |
Hydroperoxyl (HO2) and organic peroxy (RO2) radicals have an unpaired spin and are highly reactive free radicals. Measurements of the sum of HO2 and RO2 provide unique information about the chemical processing in an air mass. This paper describes the experimental features and capabilities of the Peroxy Radical Chemical Enhancement and Absorption Spectrometer (PeRCEAS). This is an instrument designed to make measurements on aircraft from the boundary layer to the lower stratosphere. PeRCEAS combines the amplified conversion of peroxy radicals to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with the sensitive detection of NO2 using cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) at 408 nm. PeRCEAS is a dual-channel instrument, with two identical reactor–detector lines working out of phase with one another at a constant and defined pressure lower than ambient at the aircraft altitude. The suitability of PeRCEAS for airborne measurements in the free troposphere was evaluated by extensive characterisation and calibration under atmospherically representative conditions in the laboratory. The use of alternating modes of the two instrumental channels successfully captures short-term variations in the sum of peroxy radicals, defined as RO2∗ (RO2∗=HO2+∑RO2+OH+∑RO, with R being an organic chain) in ambient air. For a 60 s measurement, the RO2∗ detection limit is 2σ) NO2 detectable mixing ratio |
Databáze: |
OpenAIRE |
Externí odkaz: |
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