Did you know that roadside bombs account for 60 percent of soldier deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan? These Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), or homemade bombs, are now being examined by scientists, who created a laser to detect minuscule amounts of the chemicals in these explosives.
One of the most important features of using lasers to find roadside bombs is that lasers are nondestructive, keeping civilians safe if bombs are found in populated areas. Another is that they utilize standoff detection, meaning that they work together with cameras to allow operators to stand at a safe distance and avoid being harmed.
Many different approaches have been used to develop accurate lasers with standoff detection as well as the ability to sense the smallest amount of the chemicals used in IEDs. The problem is that other chemical compounds found in the ground can mask the substances that make up explosives.
For example, fluorescence spectroscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy can detect very small quantities of explosives, but not when the area surrounding them is composed of many additional chemicals. Fluorescence spectroscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy use ultraviolet light and infrared light, respectively, to cause certain chemical compounds to emit light. Each chemical emits a different wavelength of light, which allows for its identification.
Meanwhile, other approaches such as Raman spectroscopy can identify particles with great
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