Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has recently recorded the infrared (IR) and far-infrared (sometimes called the terahertz, THz) spectral signatures of four common explosives, in the condensed phase. The signatures of RDX, PETN, TNT and Tetryl were recorded both in the infrared and the THz domains, using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Samples consisted of thin films and were made by depositing and subsequent evaporation of an acetone-explosive mixture. The complete spectrum spanned the range from 4,000 to 8 cm-1 at 2.0 cm-1 spectral resolution. Preliminary results in the infrared agree with those of previous workers, while the THz signatures are one order of magnitude weaker than the strongest IR bands.
Revised: December 1, 2006 |
Published: November 13, 2006
Citation
Sharpe S.W., T.J. Johnson, D.M. Sheen, and D.A. Atkinson. 2006.Relative Infrared (IR) and Terahertz (THz) Signatures of Common Explosives. In SPIE Proceedings, 6378, 63780A. Bellingham:SPIE Publishing.PNNL-SA-52110.