Computational evaluation of a measuring setup for aerosol fluorescence in integrating spheres

Abstract

he detection of bioaerosols has become increasingly important, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the significant threat posed by airborne pathogens to human health and mobility in public transportation. However, the real-time detection of ambient aerosols remains a pressing challenge. To address this issue, we aimed to evaluate a novel measuring setup, to the best of our knowledge, for monitoring the environment through aerosol fluorescence. Fluorescence is collected by integrating spheres with dedicated detectors for selected wavelength bands to improve signal collection and, consequently, the detection limit. To determine the optimal configuration, we utilized a dedicated simulation framework to evaluate the spatial positioning of the detectors. Through the simulation, we analyzed the core aspects of such setups and their dependencies, allowing us to compare different implementation variants and propose a candidate for the experimental realization of a real-time monitor capable of classifying bioaerosols.