Open path dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) has been shown as a powerful tool for determining greenhouse gases emissions in urban areas [1] and oil/gas production regions [2].  We have recently shown that DCS can be used to precisely measure gas emissions from an agricultural setting [3].  Agricultural activities are significant sources of methane, ammonia, and nitrous oxide and DCS offers the ability to simultaneously measure multiple gases in a field environment. Not only is this indispensable for testing gas mitigation strategies, but for several agricultural science areas such as crop breeding and crop nutrient efforts.  In collaboration with a world-class team of optical and agricultural scientists, our work will extend DCS to agricultural systems where point-sampling-based approaches are insufficient, presenting opportunities for field-scale biogeochemical studies and ecological monitoring. 

1. E. M. Waxman et al., Estimating vehicle carbon dioxide emissions from Boulder, Colorado, using horizontal path-integrated column measurements. Atmospheric Chem. Phys. 19, 4177–4192 (2019).

2. S. Coburn et al., Regional trace-gas source attribution using a field-deployed dual frequency comb spectrometer. Optica. 5, 320–327 (2018).

3. D.I. Herman et al., Precise multispecies agricultural gas flux determined using broadband open-path dual-comb spectroscopy, Sci. Adv. 7, eabe9765 (2021).

key words

Fiber optics; Frequency comb; Nonlinear optics; Spectroscopy; Supercontinuum; Dual comb Spectroscopy; Ultrafast Optics; Agricultural gas measurements; Agriculture;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants