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We want you to have a successful grant application! Below are a series of FAQs about the value of Picarro analyzers to your scientific research. We find these questions often come up during funding submissions. We hope you will consider including this information in your grant application as it highlights how Picarro analyzers enable your science and what makes our technology stand apart from others. We also have a database of scientific literature that demonstrates how Picarro instruments have been deployed by scientists.

FAQs for Grant Applications

What is CRDS and how is it useful to my science?

Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy is a time-based measurement cavity-enhanced optical spectroscopy technique that allows you to quantify concentrations of greenhouse gases, trace gases and the stable isotopic composition of water, carbon and nitrogen compounds. We utilize the fact that every small gas-phase molecule has a unique infrared absorption profile that can be measured and quantified.  In particular, we use a time-based technique, Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS), which can detect trace gases with part-per-billion, and sometimes even, part-per-trillion, sensitivity.  If you want to read more about our technology, please see our page on Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy.

Why should I ask for funding for a Picarro?

There are many reasons why a Picarro analyzer can help you gain insight into your research.  Here are a few that are specific to our CRDS technology:

  • Ultra-high precision and low drift: Picarro instruments offer high data integrity due to their high quality design and optimization.  In particular, a Picarro analyzer gains high spectral precision because of our proprietary wavelength monitor that measures the absolute wavelength of measurement to a precision that is a few orders of magnitude narrower than the spectral linewidth, and our precise temperature and pressure control in the sample cavity. Precise temperature and pressure control is essential for low drift and means that you don’t have to calibrate your system as frequently as other absorption-based technologies.
  • Time-based absorption measurement: Picarro analyzers utilizes a time-based measurement technique for determining concentrations of gases in a cavity rather than measuring absolute absorbance directly. This results in a more stable system because precise measurements of time are easier than precise direct measurements of absorbance, and because the technology is insensitive to fluctuations in laser intensity during the measurement.
  • High sensitivity: Although the cavity in a Picarro analyzer is only approximately 35 cubic centimeters in volume, the configuration of the three mirrors results in a long effective pathlength that can be over 20 kilometers.  This long pathlength means that Picarro CRDS analyzers are one thousand to one million times more sensitive than other conventional infrared spectrometers.  This means you can detect trace gases at the part-per-billion, and even sometimes, the part-per-trillion level.
  • Field deployable: We want you, not your instrument, to dictate where to conduct your science whether it be in the field, in the lab, on a boat or in a plane. Picarro engineers dedicated significant resources to ensure our analyzers are insensitive to ambient temperature changes, can withstand bumps and drops (all of our instruments pass military-grade drop and vibration tests), and can be moved easily by an individual.

What publications should I refer to for a demonstration of successful deployment in my application?

We’ve listed a number of publications below and sorted them by application.  If you don’t find your application here, please use our Peer Reviewed Publication page to search for publications in your field or contact us.

For Atmospheric Sciences, Air Quality and Emissions:

For Hydrological Sciences & Ecohydrology:

For Paleoclimate:

For Geochemistry:

For Ecology and Soil Science:

For Picarro’s CRDS Technology:

If you need information about specific analyzer or application, please Contact Us