An off-beam (OB) detection approach is suggested and experimentally investigated and optimized for quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS). This OB-QEPAS configuration, very simple in assembly, not only allows for use of larger excitation optical beams and facilitating optical alignment but also provides higher enhancement of photoacoustic signals than previously published results based on the common on-beam QEPAS under the same experimental conditions. A normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient (1sigma) of 5.9 x 10(-9) cm(-1)W/Hz(1/2) was obtained for water vapor detection at normal atmospheric pressure.

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