Detector for explosive substances
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Apparatus for detecting an explosive material in a sample, comprising:
- a light source for illuminating the sample to cause the production of Raman scattered light;
a detector for detecting Raman scattered light received from the sample; and
a filter between the sample and the detector, the filter passing to the detector only light in a band which includes 874 cm-1 and 885 cm-1, said band being sufficiently narrow that light substantially greater than 885 cm-1 or substantially less than 874 cm-1 is not passed to the detector.
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Abstract
The presence of Semtex plastic explosive in a sample such as a fingerprint is detected by Raman spectroscopy. RDX and PETN, the active chemical ingredients of Semtex, have strong Raman peaks at 885 cm-1 and 874 cm-1 respectively. Consequently, both these peaks can be detected in a Raman spectroscopic system by employing a filter having a narrow passband centered on 880 cm-1 and with a bandwidth of 20 cm-1. Such a filter is used in a Raman system used to scan airport boarding cards, or in a Raman microscope which produces images of fingerprints.
45 Citations
13 Claims
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1. Apparatus for detecting an explosive material in a sample, comprising:
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a light source for illuminating the sample to cause the production of Raman scattered light; a detector for detecting Raman scattered light received from the sample; and a filter between the sample and the detector, the filter passing to the detector only light in a band which includes 874 cm-1 and 885 cm-1, said band being sufficiently narrow that light substantially greater than 885 cm-1 or substantially less than 874 cm-1 is not passed to the detector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for detecting an explosive material in a sample, comprising:
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illuminating the sample with a light source to cause the production of Raman scattered light; detecting the Raman scattered light received from the sample with a detector, wherein a filter is placed between the sample and the detector to pass to the detector only light in a band which includes 874 cm-1 and 885 cm-1, the band being sufficiently narrow that light substantially greater than 885 cm-1 or substantially less than 874 cm-1 is not passed to the detector. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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Specification