Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Infrared Degenerate Four-wave Mixing with Upconversion Detection for Quantitative Gas Sensing
Published on: March 22, 2019
Infrared balloon experiment: improved instrumental configuration and assessment of instrument performance
G Bianchini1, A Boscaleri, B Carli
1Istituto di Fisica Applicata Nello Carrara, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Florence, Italy.
Abstract:
During the 2002 environmental satellite Envisat mid-latitude validation campaign, a new upgraded configuration of the Infrared Balloon Experiment (IBEX) Fourier transform spectrometer, which had its first flight in 1978, performed a stratospheric balloon flight across the Mediterranean Sea. Among the substantial upgrades made to the instrument, the use of photon-noise-limited detectors permitted us to reach the theoretical limits in terms of signal-to-noise ratio. Also, important modifications were made to the interferometric system and electronics, such as the installation of a solid-state laser reference source and an onboard data recording system. During the flight, measurement of volume-mixing-ratio vertical profiles of O3, HNO3, N2O, and ClO from an altitude of approximately 38 km were performed with a vertical resolution of approximately 1.5 km.
Related Concept Videos
IR Spectrometers
Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy: Overview
Different compounds display unique properties due to their...
Raman Spectroscopy Instrumentation: Overview
The monochromatic laser source, typically using visible or near-infrared radiation, generates a highly focused beam of light. This light interacts with the molecules of the sample, scattering some of the light. Liquid and gaseous samples are usually tested in ordinary glass capillaries, while solids can be analyzed as powders packed in capillaries or as potassium...
IR Spectroscopy: Molecular Vibration Overview
Stretching vibrations are vibrational motions that occur along the bond line, changing the bond length or distance between two bonded atoms. They are further distinguished as symmetric or asymmetric. In symmetric stretching, the...

