Explosive compounds such as RDX, and HMX present significant challenges to optically based sensors. This difficulty is due in part to the low vapor pressures these compounds possess. One approach for sensing explosives that circumvents the low explosive vapor pressure problem, involves focusing on the trace amounts of relatively high vapor pressure impurities that will be present in the vapor signature. In order to effectively detect these volatile impurities, the spectral signature databases must be readily available. One of our goals therefore, is the generation of a database of high resolution spectral signatures for these volatile organic impurities. Some rather formidable spectroscopic measurement challenges have been encountered while working to extend the spectral signature effort to the 3 micron region. Here we will outline progress to date, with a focus on the volatile organic compounds formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, nitromethane, acetone, isobutene, and cyclohexanone.

Date Published: 15 April 2008
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 6945, Optics and Photonics in Global Homeland Security IV, 69451S (15 April 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.777874

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6945:
Optics and Photonics in Global Homeland Security IV
Craig S. Halvorson; Daniel Lehrfeld; Theodore T. Saito, Editor(s)