title: Contributed review: quantum cascade laser based photoacoustic detection of explosives.
abstract: Detecting trace explosives and explosive-related compounds has recently become a topic of utmost importance for increasing public security around the world. A wide variety of detection methods and an even wider range of physical chemistry issues are involved in this very challenging area. Optical sensing methods, in particular mid-infrared spectrometry techniques, have a great potential to become a more desirable tools for the detection of explosives. The small size, simplicity, high output power, long-term reliability make external cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCLs) the promising spectroscopic sources for developing analytical instrumentation. This work reviews the current technical progress in EC-QCL-based photoacoustic spectroscopy for explosives detection. The potential for both close-contact and standoff configurations using this technique is completely presented over the course of approximately the last one decade.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Atmospheric Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physicochimie de l'Atmosphére, Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale, Dunkerque, France.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1374, USA.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Yalin
mesh_terms: D053834:Explosive Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D007834:Lasers; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D053834:Explosive Agents