Measurements of Raman scattering in the middle ultraviolet band from persistent chemical warfare agents

Fredrik Kullander; Lars Landström; Hampus Lundén; Abdesalam Mohammed; Göran Olofsson; Pär Wästerby

doi:10.1117/12.2049815

29 May 2014 Measurements of Raman scattering in the middle ultraviolet band from persistent chemical warfare agents

Fredrik Kullander, Lars Landström, Hampus Lundén, Abdesalam Mohammed, Göran Olofsson, Pär Wästerby

Proceedings Volume 9073, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XV; 90730C (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2049815
Event: SPIE Defense + Security, 2014, Baltimore, MD, United States

Abstract

The very low Raman scattering cross section and the fluorescence background limit the measuring range of Raman based instruments operating in the visible or infrared band. We are exploring if laser excitation in the middle ultraviolet (UV) band between 200 and 300 nm is useful and advantageous for detection of persistent chemical warfare agents (CWA) on various kinds of surfaces. The UV Raman scattering from tabun, mustard gas, VX and relevant simulants in the form of liquid surface contaminations has been measured using a laboratory experimental setup with a short standoff distance around 1 meter. Droplets having a volume of 1 μl were irradiated with a tunable pulsed laser swept within the middle UV band. A general trend is that the signal strength moves through an optimum when the laser excitation wavelength is swept between 240 and 300 nm. The signal from tabun reaches a maximum around 265 nm, the signal from mustard gas around 275 nm. The Raman signal from VX is comparably weak. Raman imaging by the use of a narrow bandpass UV filter is also demonstrated.

Citation Download Citation

Fredrik Kullander, Lars Landström, Hampus Lundén, Abdesalam Mohammed, Göran Olofsson, and Pär Wästerby "Measurements of Raman scattering in the middle ultraviolet band from persistent chemical warfare agents", Proc. SPIE 9073, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XV, 90730C (29 May 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2049815

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