Detection of particles of explosives via backward coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy (CARS) was used for detection of solid particles of explosives and related compounds. The CARS spectra were recorded in the fingerprint region and were shown to exhibit the strong characteristic features of spontaneous Raman spectra of the respective compounds. This study demonstrates the applicability of narrowband backward-CARS spectroscopy for detection of explosives and specifically of its preference over spontaneous Raman scattering. This method has the potential to be applied to remote sensing of hazardous materials.