Towards optoelectronic detection of explosives

Opto-Electronics Review, June 2013, Volume 21, Issue 2, pp 210-219

doi 10.2478/s11772-013-0082-x

Authors: J. Wojtas, T. Stacewicz, Z. Bielecki, B. Rutecka, R. Medrzycki, J. Mikolajczyk
More details at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.2478/s11772-013-0082-x

Abstract

Detection of explosives is an important challenge for contemporary science and technology of security systems. We present an application of NOx sensors equipped with concentrator in searching of explosives. The sensors using CRDS with blue — violet diode lasers (410 nm) as well as with QCL lasers (5.26 μm and 4.53 μm) are described. The detection method is based either on reaction of the sensors to the nitrogen oxides emitted by explosives or to NOx produced during thermal decomposition of explosive vapours. For TNT, PETN, RDX, and HMX the detection limit better than 1 ng has been achieved.

... Time domain spectroscopy (TDS) is especially useful in the THz range [12,13]. Observation of explosives' transmission and reflection are conducted by using TeraView TPS Spectra 3000 instrument at the Institute of Optoelectronics, MUT ...

Author Affiliations: Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology, 2 Kaliskiego Str., 00-908, Warsaw, Poland

In 2011 TeraView supplied two TPS Spectra 3000 systems with a stand-off explosives detection module and a fibre-fed scanning system with multiple gantry options for research into terahertz imaging and non-destructive testing. Military University of Technology (MUT) in Poland is one of the country’s most prestigious research institutes for terahertz research and materials characterisation. Read more...