Chemical aerosol detection and identification using Raman scattering

Abstract

Early warning of the presence of chemical agent aerosols is an important component in the defense against such agents. A Raman spectrometer has been constructed for the purpose of detecting and identifying chemical aerosols. We report the detection and identification of a low‐concentration chemical aerosol in atmospheric air using 532‐nm continuous wave laser Raman scattering. We have demonstrated the Raman scattering detection and identification of an aerosol of isovanillin of mass concentration of 1.8 ng/cm3 with a signal‐to‐noise ratio of about 19 in 30 s for the 1116‐cm−1 mode with a Raman cross section of 3.3 × 10−28 cm2 using 8‐W double‐pass laser power. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
May 27, 2014
Source ID
10.1002/jrs.4509

Entities

People

  • L. W. Farrar
  • R. L. Aggarwal
  • S. Di Cecca
  • T. H. Jeys

Organizations

  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Readers

  • Aerosol Science/Aerosol Physics
  • Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Lasers