Discrimination and identification of plastic landmine casings by single-shot broadband LIBS

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) spectra were collected under laboratory conditions and compiled in a library for a suite of plastic landmine casings and a variety of non-mine plastic materials on two occasions during 2004 using a Nd-YAG laser and a high-resolution broadband spectrometer to collect the full 200-980 nm LIBS spectrum.. The landmine casings examined included a broad selection of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines from different countries of manufacture. Two 'blind' tests were conducted in which LIBS spectra for the landmine casings and plastics were compared with a previously-constructed material spectral library. Using a linear correlation software, 'mine/no mine' determinations were correctly made for >90% of the samples in both tests.