Towards standoff photothermal spectroscopy of CBRNE hazards using an ultra-fast tunable QCL

J. Miles; M. F. Muir; S. W. J. Scully; I. Hunter; C. McIlroy; J. E. Cunningham; C. V. Robinson; C. R. Howle

doi:10.1117/12.2558085

24 April 2020 Towards standoff photothermal spectroscopy of CBRNE hazards using an ultra-fast tunable QCL

J. Miles, M. F. Muir, S. W. J. Scully, I. Hunter, C. McIlroy, J. E. Cunningham, C. V. Robinson, C. R. Howle

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Proceedings Volume 11416, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XXI; 114160A (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2558085
Event: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, 2020, Online Only

Abstract

A stand-off photothermal sensor platform has been developed which combines two laser technologies: an external cavity Quantum Cascade Laser (EC-QCL), and a near-infrared laser Doppler vibrometer (NIR-LDV). The former is used as a 'pump' to induce vibrations/acoustic waves in the sample, whereas the latter is used to 'probe' these photothermal (PT) effects as the pump wavelength is varied; yielding spectral information on the target analyte. The EC-QCL uses an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) to obtain single-mode mid-infrared light of high output power with up to 1.6 µm of wavelength tuning. Using this AO based approach allows ultra-fast scanning across the full spectral bandwidth of the QCL gain chip at MHz rates, thus facilitating high speed identification of hazards. Initial validation of this pump-probe platform is demonstrated for the detection of 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB) and nitrobenzene (NB) on an aluminium substrate at a distance of several metres.

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J. Miles, M. F. Muir, S. W. J. Scully, I. Hunter, C. McIlroy, J. E. Cunningham, C. V. Robinson, and C. R. Howle "Towards standoff photothermal spectroscopy of CBRNE hazards using an ultra-fast tunable QCL", Proc. SPIE 11416, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XXI, 114160A (24 April 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2558085

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