|
| |
New laser to help detect
roadside bombs
Main
Article page |
Beauty articles
|
Health page |
Computers|
Diseases |
Education |
Entertainment |
Family
Business |Fitness|
Fruits and Vegetables
|
Jobs |
General |
Personality|
Technology
|
Tourism |
Useful Tips
Biography Page|
Heroes & Incredible peoples
|
Inventions
Computer Main page |
Printer drivers|
Antivirus |
Children safety |
SMS|
Articles
WASHINGTON ( PTI ): Scientists have developed a new
laser, which they say can accurately detects roadside bombs and helps identify
improvized explosive devices (IEDs), often used by terrorists.
Researchers at Michigan State University who devised the laser said it has the
sensitivity and selectivity to scan large areas and detect improvised explosive
devices that account for around 60 per cent of coalition soldiers' deaths in
Afghanistan.
Detection of IEDs is extremely challenging because the environment injects a
large number of chemical compounds that mask the select few molecules that one
is trying to detect.
But the new laser can make these distinctions even for quantities as small as a
fraction of a billionth of a gram, said Professor Marcos Dantus, who led the
research. According to the researchers, the laser combines short pulses that
cause molecules in the explosives to vibrate, as well as long pulses that are
used to 'listen' and identify the different vibrations.
Every kind of molecule has different vibrational frequencies that uniquely
identify the substance, much like a fingerprint, the researchers said.
"The laser and the method we've developed were originally intended for
microscopes, but we were able to adapt and broaden its use to demonstrate its
effectiveness for standoff detection of explosives," Professor Dantus said in a
statement.
The research, partly funded by the United State Department of Homeland Security,
was published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
( Courtesy:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
)
Articles:
| |
|
