We describe construction and investigation results of optical trace gas sensor working in the 3.334–3.337 μm spectral range. Laser spectroscopy was performed with a multipass cell. A setup was elaborated for detection of ethane at the 3.3368035 μm absorption line. Analysis of the gas spectra and the experiment have shown that, beside C2H6, the sensor is suitable for simultaneous detection of methane, formaldehyde and water vapor. Due to nonlinearity of the laser power characteristic we decided to detect the fourth harmonic of signal. Additional laser wavelength modulation was applied for optical interference suppression. In result, the precision of ethane detection of approximately 80 ppt has been achieved for the averaging time of 20 seconds. Long-term stability as well as the measurement linearity have also been positively tested. The system is suitable for detecting potential biomarkers directly in human breath.

A concept of a highly sensitive and fast-response airborne optoelectronic hygrometer, based on the absorption spectroscopy with laser light tuned to an intense ro-vibronic absorption line of H2O in the 1391– 1393 nm range is presented. The target application of this study is airborne atmospheric measurements, in particular at the top of troposphere and in stratosphere. The cavity ring-down spectroscopy was used to achieve high sensitivity. In order to avoid interference of the results by water desorbed from the instrument walls, the open-path solution was applied. Tests of the instrument, performed in a climatic chamber, have shown some advantages of this concept over typical hygrometers designed for similar applications.

A contactless laser hygrometer based on light absorption by H2O molecules at 1392.5 nm is described. However, measurement results can be affected by optical noise when applied to an atmospheric tunnel or glass cuvette. The noises (occurring in the form of periodic fringes in the recorded spectrum) come from unexpected interference of the light beams reflected from surfaces of the windows or other optical elements. The method of their suppression is described in this article. It is based on wavelength modulation and signal averaging over the fringes period. Also, an experiment confirming the usefulness of this method is described here.

The paper presents analyses of current research projects connected with explosive material sensors. Sensors are described assigned to X and γ radiation, optical radiation sensors, as well as detectors applied in gas chromatography, electrochemical and chemical sensors. Furthermore, neutron techniques and magnetic resonance devices were analyzed. Special attention was drawn to optoelectronic sensors of explosive devices.

The paper describes an integrated laser absorption system as a potential tool for breath analysis for clinical diagnostics, online therapy monitoring and metabolic disorder control. The sensors operate basing on cavity enhanced spectroscopy and multi-pass spectroscopy supported by wavelength modulation spectroscopy. The aspects concerning selection of operational spectral range and minimization of interference are also discussed. Tests results of the constructed devices collected with reference samples of biomarkers are also presented. The obtained data provide an opportunity to analyse applicability of optoelectronic sensors in medical screening.

Sensing technology has been developed for detection of gases in some environmental, industrial, medical, and scientific applications. The main tasks of these works is to enhance performance of gas sensors taking into account their different applicability and scenarios of operation. This paper presents the descriptions, comparison and recent progress in some existing gas sensing technologies. Detailed introduction to optical sensing methods is presented. In a general way, other kinds of various sensors, such as catalytic, thermal conductivity, electrochemical, semiconductor and surface acoustic wave ones, are also presented. Furthermore, this paper focuses on performance of the optical method in detecting biomarkers in the exhaled air. There are discussed some examination results of the constructed devices. The devices operated on the basis of enhanced cavity and wavelength modulation spectroscopies. The experimental data used for analyzing applicability of these different sensing technologies in medical screening. Several suggestions related to future development are also discussed.