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Eye‐safe UV stand‐off Raman spectroscopy for the ranged detection of explosives in the field
Author(s) -
Carroll Joshua A.,
Izake Emad L.,
Cletus Biju,
Jaatinen Esa
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of raman spectroscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.748
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1097-4555
pISSN - 0377-0486
DOI - 10.1002/jrs.4642
Subject(s) - raman spectroscopy , laser , ultraviolet , explosive material , optics , nanosecond , materials science , spectroscopy , range (aeronautics) , signal (programming language) , optoelectronics , chemistry , computer science , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , composite material , programming language
Increasing worldwide terrorist attacks involving explosives presents a growing need for a rapid and ranged explosive detection method that can safely be deployed in the field. Stand‐off Raman spectroscopy shows great promise; however, the radiant exposures of lasers required for adequate signal generation are often much greater than what is safe for the eye or the skin, restricting use of the technique to unpopulated areas. Here, by determining the safe exposure levels for lasers typically used in Raman spectroscopy, optimal parameter values are identified, which produce the largest possible detection range using power densities that do not exceed the eye‐safe limit. It is shown that safe ultraviolet pulse energies can be more than three orders of magnitude greater than equivalent safe visible pulse energies. Coupling this to the 16‐fold increase in Raman signal obtained in the ultraviolet at 266 nm over that at 532 nm results in a 131 times larger detection range for the eye‐safe 266‐nm system over an equivalent eye‐safe 532‐nm laser system. For the Raman system described here, this translates to a maximum range of 42 m for detecting Teflon with a 266‐nm laser emitting a 100‐mm diameter beam of 23.5‐mJ nanosecond pulses. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.