Abstract

There is a current need for an active standoff system that can detect and classify surfaces that have been contaminated with chemical, biological, and explosive materials. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) has shown great promise for applications in biological and chemical (CB) sensing [1] and has significant potential for real time standoff detection and analysis. However, nearly all previous LIBS experiments were limited to spectral measurements in the UV-VIS and near-infrared (NIR) regions (~200-980 nm). It is well known, however, that molecules exhibit spectroscopic signatures or “fingerprints” in the mid-IR (MIR) to long wave IR (LWIR) regions due to vibrational and rotational transitions.

© 2011 Optical Society of America