Pulse measurements of the frequency response of a photoacoustic cell

Abstract

The determination of the frequency response of a photoacoustic cell is a typical activity during design and adjustment of a photoacoustic setup. The most common method of such measurements is based on point-by-point checking of the amplitude of the photoacoustic signal at different modulation frequencies. Such an approach can be time-consuming, especially if a lot of measurements at low modulation frequencies are to be performed. The article presents a method based on investigation of a photoacoustic response to short square pulse stimulation instead of continuous modulation of the light source. The method allows for measurements of the frequency response to be substantially shortened. A theoretical description and properties of the pulse measurement method are discussed and illustrated with a comparison of experimental results obtained from both frequency response measurement methods. © The Author(s) 2011.