title: Visualisation by confocal microscopy of traces on bullets and cartridge cases.
abstract: The capabilities of confocal scanning laser microscopy for the visualisation of marks on bullets and cartridge cases were investigated. Confocal microscopy provides solutions to important limitations of conventional comparison microscopy with grazing light incidence, as generally used for the examination of these marks. It is expected that confocal microscopy, thanks to its broad applicability within the field of firearms investigation and its capability of non-destructively gathering quantitative three-dimensional information, will lead to a more complete and objective forensic examination of bullets and cartridge cases.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Police Scientifique et de Criminologie, University of Lausanne, Lausanne-Dorigny, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bonfanti
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Ghauharali
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D005389:Firearms; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008853:Microscopy; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*