Hybrid laser spectroscopy for real-time standoff detection of explosive residues on individuals

Kurzfassung

Our laser-based standoff detection system is designed to detect traces of explosives on peoples shoes during security checks. It uses mid-infrared and Raman spectroscopy in combination with image recognition and tracking to examine shoe surfaces. Fast and contactless detection together with real-time data analysis provide an easy and comfortable screening process. Here, we investigate the system sensitivity for the explosives pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), hexogen (RDX), trinitrotoluene (TNT) and ammoniumnitrate (AN) on quartz surfaces. The results represent a first step towards determining the detection limit of our system. The benefit of using multiple detection techniques instead of only one method is discussed.