Infrared spectroscopy

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an optical source providing an optical beam;

a splitter configured to split the optical beam into a sample beam and a reference beam;

a sample path containing a sample material to be analyzed, said sample beam being directed through said sample path so as to interact with said sample material;

a reference path containing a reference material, said reference beam being directed through said reference path so as to interact with said reference material;

a disperser configured to receive said sample beam after it exits the sample path and to receive said reference beam after it exits the reference path, said disperser outputting a dispersed sample beam and a dispersed reference beam;

a photodetector disposed to receive the dispersed sample beam and the dispersed reference beam and to output a first electrical signal comprised of data indicative of a spectra of the sample beam after it exits the sample path and a second electrical signal comprised of data indicative of a spectra of the reference beam after it exits the reference path; and

a data processor configured to compare the first electrical signal to a predetermined reference value to calibrate the second electrical signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , where said data processor is connected with a memory storing a software program configured to process the data to detect a presence of at least one type of molecular species that comprises the sample material; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the processed data to a receiver.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , where said data processor is further configured to detect in the spectra of the sample beam at least one of absorption and transmission of certain wavelengths due to the presence of the at least one type of molecular species in the sample material, and is further configured to determine a difference spectra using the spectra of the reference beam in accordance with a standard emission for calibration of the spectra of the reference beam.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit the data to a remote receiver.

5. The apparatus as in claim 1 , where the sample material comprises air, and where the reference material comprises a constituent component of air.

6. The apparatus as in claim 1 , where the sample material comprises air, and where the reference material comprises Argon.

7. The apparatus as in claim 1 , where the optical source is a broadband infrared source.

8. The apparatus as in claim 1 , where the optical source is an infrared source having wavelengths in a range of about 2500 nm to about 6000 nm.

9. The apparatus as in claim 1 , where said disperser is comprised of a dispersive prism, and where said photodetector is comprised of a charge coupled device array of photodetectors or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor array of photodetectors.

10. The apparatus as in claim 1 , where the sample path comprises a sample tube that is open to the environment for receiving ambient air, where the reference path comprises a sealed reference tube that contains Argon, and where a length of the sample tube is equal to the length of the reference tube.

11. A method, comprising:

outputting an optical beam from an optical source;

splitting the optical beam into a sample beam and a reference beam;

directing the sample beam through a sample path containing a sample material to be analyzed so as to interact with said sample material;

simultaneously directing the reference beam through a reference path containing a reference material so as to interact with said reference material;

dispersing said sample beam after it exits the sample path and said reference beam after it exits the reference path and outputting a dispersed sample beam and a dispersed reference beam;

generating a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal from said dispersed sample beam and said dispersed reference beam, respectively, the first electrical signal comprised of data indicative of a spectra of the sample beam after it exits the sample path and the second electrical signal comprised of data indicative of a spectra of the reference beam after it exits the reference path; and

comparing the first electrical signal to a predetermined reference value to calibrate the second electrical signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

processing the data to detect a presence of at least one type of molecular species that comprises the sample material; and

transmitting the processed data to a receiver.

13. The method of claim 12 , where processing comprises detecting in the spectra of the sample beam at least one of absorption and transmission of certain wavelengths due to the presence of the at least one type of molecular species in the sample material, and further comprises determining a difference spectra using the spectra of the reference beam in accordance with a standard emission for calibration of the spectra of the reference beam.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting the data to a remote receiver.

15. The method of claim 11 , where the sample material comprises air, and where the reference material comprises a constituent component of air.

16. The method of claim 11 , where the sample material comprises air, and where the reference material comprises Argon.

17. The method of claim 11 , where the optical source is a broadband infrared source.

18. The method of claim 11 , where the optical source is an infrared source having wavelengths in a range of about 2500 nm to about 6000 nm.

19. The method of claim 11 , where dispersing uses a dispersive prism, and where generating electrical signals comprises operating a charge coupled device array of photodetectors or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor array of photodetectors.

20. The method of claim 11 , where the sample path comprises a sample tube that is open to the environment for receiving ambient air, where the reference path comprises a sealed reference tube that contains Argon, and where a length of the sample tube is equal to the length of the reference tube.