(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new laser-based technique that could dramatically improve our ability to analyze a variety of materials and gases, including greenhouse gases. This new method, called “free-form dual-comb spectroscopy,” offers a faster, more flexible, and more sensitive way to analyze substances in the air and other materials.

In this specific study, published in Nature Photonics, researchers demonstrated that their laboratory-based system could detect a single gas, in this case the potent greenhouse gas methane, with 22 times higher sensitivity than a traditional dual-comb system. This increased sensitivity could one day help identify small leaks or emissions that might otherwise go unnoticed, potentially aiding in efforts to combat climate change.

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