Eye-safe infrared laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) emissions from energetic materials

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is a powerful diagnostic tool for detection of trace elements by monitoring the atomic and ionic emission from laser-induced plasmas. Besides elemental emissions from conventional UV-Vis LIBS, molecular LIBS emission signatures of the target compounds were observed in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) region in recent studies. Most current LIBS studies employ the fundamental Nd:YAG laser output at 1.064 μm, which has extremely low eye-damage threshold. In this work, comparative LWIR-LIBS emissions studies using traditional 1.064 μm pumping and eye-safe laser wavelength at 1.574 μm were performed on several energetic materials for applications in chemical, biological, and explosive (CBE) sensing. A Q-switched Nd: YAG laser operating at 1.064 μm and the 1.574 μm output of a pulsed Nd:YAG pumped Optical Parametric Oscillator were employed as the excitation sources. The investigated energetic materials were studied for the appearance of LWIR-LIBS emissions (4-12 μm) that are directly indicative of oxygenated breakdown products as well as partially dissociated and recombination molecular species. The observed molecular IR LIBS emission bands showed strong correlation with FTIR absorption spectra of the studied materials for 1.064 μm and 1.574 μm pump wavelengths.

[2]  Alan C. Samuels,et al.  Long-Wave, Infrared Laser-Induced Breakdown (LIBS) Spectroscopy Emissions from Energetic Materials , 2012, Applied spectroscopy.

[3]  Alan C Samuels,et al.  Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of bacterial spores, molds, pollens, and protein: initial studies of discrimination potential. , 2003, Applied optics.

[4]  R. Walters,et al.  Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) – an emerging field-portable sensor technology for real-time, in-situ geochemical and environmental analysis , 2005, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis.

[5]  D. Cremers,et al.  Handbook of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy: Cremers/Handbook of Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy , 2006 .

[6]  U. Jäglid,et al.  Carbonation of Portland Cement Studied by Diffuse Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy , 2013, International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials.

[7]  K. R. Hencken,et al.  Implementation of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy as a continuous emissions monitor for toxic metals , 2000 .

[8]  Leon J. Radziemski,et al.  Handbook of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy , 2006 .

[9]  A. D. Mcelroy,et al.  Raman and Infrared Spectra of Nitronium Perchlorate , 1965 .

[10]  Frank C. De Lucia,et al.  Rapid analysis of energetic and geo-materials using LIBS , 2011 .

[11]  R. Walters,et al.  Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS): a promising versatile chemical sensor technology for hazardous material detection , 2005, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[12]  Dudley A. Williams,et al.  Optical constants of ammonium sulfate in the infrared. [stratospheric aerosol refractive and absorption indices] , 1977 .

[13]  Alan C. Samuels,et al.  Mid-Infrared Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Emissions from Alkali Metal Halides , 2008, Applied spectroscopy.

[14]  Andrew I. Whitehouse,et al.  Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and its application to the remote characterisation of hazardous materials , 2006 .

[15]  E. Brown,et al.  Mid-infrared laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy emissions from energetic materials , 2011, 2011 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe and 12th European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO EUROPE/EQEC).

[16]  P. S. Wijewarnasuriya,et al.  Infrared (1-12 μm) atomic and molecular emission signatures from energetic materials using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy , 2013, Defense, Security, and Sensing.

[17]  Alan C. Samuels,et al.  Mid-Infrared Emission from Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy , 2007, Applied spectroscopy.

[18]  Awadhesh K. Rai,et al.  Characterization of organic materials by LIBS for exploration of correlation between molecular and elemental LIBS signals , 2011 .

[19]  A. Miziolek,et al.  Double-pulse standoff laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for versatile hazardous materials detection , 2007 .

[20]  F. A. Miller,et al.  Infrared Spectra and Characteristic Frequencies of Inorganic Ions , 1952 .

[21]  Surya P. Tewari,et al.  Stoichiometric analysis of ammonium nitrate and ammonium perchlorate with nanosecond laser induced breakdown spectroscopy , 2010, Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[22]  J. E. Sansonetti.  Wavelengths, Transition Probabilities, and Energy Levels for the Spectra of Potassium "K I through K XIX… , 2008 .

[23]  Feng Jin,et al.  Rapid long-wave infrared laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy measurements using a mercury-cadmium-telluride linear array detection system. , 2015, Applied optics.

[24]  P. Dagdigian,et al.  Comparison of laser-induced breakdown spectra of organic compounds with irradiation at 1.5 and 1.064 microm. , 2008, Applied optics.