The spatial and temporal evolution of the CN molecular emission following laser ablation of a TNT analog (3- nitrobenzoic acid) has been studied along with ablation of targets that contain neither nitro groups nor C-N bonds. At a fluence of ~10⁴ J/cm², behavior indicative of the ablation of native CN bonds has been observed in samples containing no native CN bonds. The recorded data show significant plasma background emissions that pose difficulties for direct spectral imaging. Spatially resolved images suggest that some of the observed phenomena are simply the result of the interaction of the plasma and the observation volume of the collection optics.

Date Published: 29 May 2013
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 8710, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XIV, 87100S (29 May 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2016440

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8710:
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Sensing XIV
Augustus Way Fountain III, Editor(s)