Research Methods Research Methods

Fabry-Pérot interferometers (FPIs) have been invented in the 19^th century and since then led to numerous breakthroughs in fundamental physics. Despite their known optical throughput and resolving power advantages they have rarely been used for environmental measurements, because of their difficult handling and delicate setup. 
This situation has changed drastically with technological advances of the last decades, such as optical coating procedures and the availability of digital camera detectors. Nowadays, the inherent advantages of FPIs can be exploited. Customized FPI-based spectrometers are compact and robust and extend the range of environmental observations that can be made with optical remote sensing.

Alongside our spectroscopic developments, we build process-based models that integrate chemical kinetics and turbulent atmospheric mixing. Going beyond thermodynamic equilibrium assumptions and static parametrizations, these models explicitly resolve the time-dependent interplay of chemistry and mixing that governs the composition of many atmospheric systems. A key feature of these models is that their efficiency and flexibility enable systematic sensitivity studies. For instance, these models could identify key processes influencing the composition of volcanic plumes and their oxidation chemistry and explain the formation of secondary aerosols in polluted arctic environments.