Highly sensitive standoff detection and identification of traces of explosives and of biological and chemical agents

Alexander Portnov; Illana Bar; Salman Rosenwaks

doi:10.1117/12.863471

12 October 2010 Highly sensitive standoff detection and identification of traces of explosives and of biological and chemical agents

Alexander Portnov, Illana Bar, Salman Rosenwaks

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7838, Optics and Photonics for Counterterrorism and Crime Fighting VI and Optical Materials in Defence Systems Technology VII; 78380D (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.863471
Event: SPIE Security + Defence, 2010, Toulouse, France

Abstract

Our experiments focused on monitoring the signal obtained from diffuse reflections of forward-generated coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), occurring in different samples, referred to as "backward-CARS" (B-CARS). The methodology of B-CARS was developed and the feasibility of using it as a spectroscopic tool for standoff detection of particles of explosives and related compounds studied. Signals of both the B-CARS and spontaneous Raman scattering under similar conditions were monitored to compare their sensitivities. In addition, the dependence of the B-CARS signal on the distance was measured at short ranges and the standoff detection capabilities of the method at long distances estimated. The measurements imply that B-CARS allows favorable detection as compared to Raman. However, an inherent drawback of the developed narrowband B-CARS method is the need to scan the Stokes beam frequency to monitor the different vibrational levels of the detected species. We therefore embarked on a broadband B-CARS method (patent pending) which is based on the application of a sub-ns ultra-broadband laser source for the Stokes beam and enables to monitor simultaneously a wide span of vibrational transitions of the detected species.

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Alexander Portnov, Illana Bar, and Salman Rosenwaks "Highly sensitive standoff detection and identification of traces of explosives and of biological and chemical agents", Proc. SPIE 7838, Optics and Photonics for Counterterrorism and Crime Fighting VI and Optical Materials in Defence Systems Technology VII, 78380D (12 October 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.863471

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