Angle dependent stand-off Raman spectroscopy on chemical warfare agent simulants

Kurzfassung

This study investigates the application of stand-off Raman spectroscopy for trace detection of organophosphorus compounds, using glyphosate as a model analyte. Glyphosate is widely used as a simulant for chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in spectroscopic studies due to its structural and functional similarities. This is especially due to the presence of the characteristic phosphorous-oxygen bonds which is commonly found in organophosphorus CWAs such as sarin, tabun und VX. Various parameters, such as detection angle, detection distance, excitation wavelength and the polarization of excitation laser may influence the Raman signal intensity. To study the effect of these parameters, two ns-pulsed laser systems two different excitation wavelengths were used, namely 266 nm and 532 nm. Spectra at 12 different angles were acquired to analyze angle-dependent signal intensity. This study provides valuable insights on angular dependency of Raman scattering, providing critical design parameters for optimizing stand-off Raman spectrometers to achieve sensitive detection of hazardous chemicals.