Modulated ringdown comb interferometry for sensing of highly complex gases

Gas samples relevant to health and environment typically contain a plethora of molecular species that span a huge concentration dynamic range. High-concentration molecules impose a strong absorption background that hinders robust identification of low-concentration species. While mid-infrared frequency comb spectroscopy with high-finesse cavity enhancement has realized many of the most sensitive multi-species trace gas detection to date, its robust performance requires gas samples to contain only weak absorption features to avoid dispersing cavity resonances from the comb line frequencies.