Fiber-optic laser sensor for mine detection and verification

What we believe to be a new optical approach for the identification of mines and explosives by analyzing the surface materials and not only bulk is developed. A conventional manually operated mine prodder is upgraded by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In situ and real-time information o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied optics (2004) 2006-06, Vol.45 (16), p.3817-3825
Main Authors: Bohling, Christian, Scheel, Dirk, Hohmann, Konrad, Schade, Wolfgang, Reuter, Matthias, Holl, Gerhard
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:What we believe to be a new optical approach for the identification of mines and explosives by analyzing the surface materials and not only bulk is developed. A conventional manually operated mine prodder is upgraded by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In situ and real-time information of materials that are in front of the prodder are obtained during the demining process in order to optimize the security aspects and the speed of demining. A Cr4+:Nd3+:YAG microchip laser is used as a seed laser for an ytterbium-fiber amplifier to generate high-power laser pulses at 1064 nm with pulse powers up to E(p) = 1 mJ, a repetition rate of f(rep.) = 2-20 kHz and a pulse duration of t(p) = 620 ps. The recorded LIBS signals are analyzed by applying neural networks for the data analysis.
ISSN:1559-128X
DOI:10.1364/AO.45.003817