AAAR 33rd Annual Conference
October 20 - October 24, 2014
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando, Florida, USA
Abstract View
Quantum Cascade Laser Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy: New Method for the Characterization and Detection of Aerosols
Erin M. Durke, ANGELA M. BUONAUGURIO, Jason Edmonds, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
Abstract Number: 568 Working Group: Homeland Security
Abstract Aerosolized chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) are potential threats for the warfighter, resulting in the need for aerosol identification and detection for further developments in protection and mitigation. One of the most reliable techniques for the identification of trace gas species is absorption spectroscopy. Cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) is a highly sensitive and selective absorption method with the ability to detect trace levels of chemical species. Its advantage is based on the extremely long effective path length, providing precise detection of the rate of decay of light from a high finesse optical cavity to directly measure the absorption of the trace gas. The mid-wave (MWIR) and long-wave (LWIR) infrared regions are of particular interest due to the characteristic rotovibrational absorption bands exhibited in these regions for identification of a species. Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have the capability of emitting both infrared wavelength regions, of 3-8 µm and 8-15 µm, respectively. During the first year of this multi year effort, we have developed a new method for the characterization of aerosols by combining the highly powerful spectroscopic method of cavity ring down spectroscopy and the ability to detect in the IR fingerprint region using quantum cascade lasers for identification. This novel technique results in in situ investigations of chemical aerosols. The development of this method and preliminary data on accepted test vapors and simulants, leading up to aerosols of chemical warfare agents, are presented.