AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
The Multiwavelength Aerosol Signature Testbed for BSL3 (MAST-3) Program
JONATHAN RICHARDSON, Robert Martinez, Joseph Lacirignola, Edward Froehlich, Andreas Gennis, Richard Vanderbeek, Mary Wade, Todd Sickler, Amber Prugh, Kevin Hung, MIT
Abstract Number: 139 Working Group: Homeland Security
Abstract Biological attack remains a clear and present threat to our military and homeland. Detection of bio-aerosol threats by optical means has the advantages of being rapid and low maintenance, require no reagents. Such methods rely on the optical properties of the bio-aerosols themselves, which depend primarily on the class (spore, virus, toxin, etc.) and comingled materials (residual growth media, etc.) present. In the case of wet-generated aerosols, the environmental conditions (e.g., relative humidity) are also important. This work will describe a new apparatus for measuring the optical properties of benign and malignant bio-aerosols under a wide range of growth and environmental conditions called the Multi-wavelength Aerosol Signature Testbed (MAST). The Phase 1 version of MAST has been involved in a signature measurements program for the past year at the Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center (ECBC), where it is located in a secure biosafety level 3 laboratory. This version of the MAST includes 355nm and 1550nm polarimetric scatter and 355nm spectroscopic fluorescence channels, all fiber-coupled. The apparatus fully contains the aerosol challenges and can be decontaminated in-place for periodic maintenance. In this presentation, we will describe the aerosol generation and optical system and discuss our ongoing program, in which we are developing our next generation apparatus.