Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) for liquid screening

Recently, Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) has been discussed as a novel method for the screening of liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) at airports and for other security applications. SORS is an optical spectroscopic method which enables the precise chemical identification of substances from a reference list and, due to the rich spectral information, has an inherently high probability of detection and low false alarm rate. The method is generally capable of screening substances inside non-metallic containers such as plastic and glass bottles. SORS is typically successful through opaque plastic and coloured glass, which are often challenging for conventional backscatter Raman spectroscopy. SORS is performed in just a few seconds by shining a laser light onto the container and then measuring the Raman signal at the excitation point but also at one or more offset positions. Each measurement has different relative orthogonal contributions from the container and contents Raman spectra, so that, with no prior knowledge, the pure Raman spectra of both the container and contents can be extracted - either by scaled subtraction or via multivariate statistical methods in an automated process. In this paper, the latest results will be described from a prototype SORS device designed for aviation security and the advantages and limitations of SORS will be discussed.