The performance of a home-built tunable diode laser (TDL) spectrometer, aimed at multi-line detection of carbon dioxide, has been evaluated and optimized. In the regime of the (30<SUP>0</SUP>1)<SUB>III</SUB> / (000) band of <SUP>12</SUP>CO<SUB>2</SUB> around 1.6 μm, the dominating isotope species <SUP>12</SUP>CO<SUB>2</SUB>, <SUP>13</SUP>CO<SUB>2</SUB>, and <SUP>12</SUP>C<SUP>18</SUP>O<SUP>16</SUP>O were detected simultaneously without interference by water vapor. Detection limits in the range of few ppmv were obtained for each species utilizing wavelength modulation (WM) spectroscopy with balanced detection in a long-path absorption cell set-up. High sensitivity in conjunction with high precision —typically ±1‰ and ±6‰ for 3% and 0.7% of CO<SUB>2</SUB>, respectively— renders this experimental approach a promising analytical concept for isotope-ratio determination of carbon dioxide in soil and breath gas. For a moderate <SUP>12</SUP>CO<SUB>2</SUB> line, the pressure dependence of the line profile was characterized in detail, to account for pressure effects on sensitive measurements.

The performance of a home-built tunable diode laser (TDL) spectrometer has been optimized regarding multi-line detection of carbon dioxide in natural gases. In the regime of the (30<SUP>0</SUP>1)<SUB>III</SUB> ← (000) band of <SUP>12</SUP>CO<SUB>2</SUB> around 1.6 μm, the dominating isotope species <SUP>12</SUP>CO<SUB>2</SUB>, <SUP>13</SUP>CO<SUB>2</SUB>, and <SUP>12</SUP>C<SUP>18</SUP>O<SUP>16</SUP>O were detected simultaneously. In contrast to most established techniques, selective measurements are performed without any sample preparation. This is possible since the CO<SUB>2</SUB> detection is free of interference from water, ubiquitous in natural gases. Detection limits in the range of a few ppmv were obtained for each species utilizing wavelength modulation (WM) spectroscopy with balanced detection in a long-path absorption cell set-up. Linear calibration plots cover a dynamic range of four orders of magnitude, allowing for quantitative CO<SUB>2</SUB> detection in various samples, like soil and breath gas. High isotopic resolution enables the excellent selectivity, sensitivity, and stability of the chosen analytical concept. The obtained isotopic resolution of typically ± 1.0 ‰ and ± 1.5 ‰ (for 3 vol. % and 0.7 vol. % of CO<SUB>2</SUB>, respectively) offers a promising analytical tool for isotope-ratio determination of carbon dioxide in soil gas. Preliminary experiments on soil respiration for the first time combine the on-line quantification of the overall carbon dioxide content with an optode sensor and isotopic determination (TDL system) of natural gas species.