Ultraviolet laser induced fluorescence of aerosolized bacterial snores

摘要

Until quite recently the ability to detect and discriminate aerosolized micro-organisms at long range using the laser induced fluorescence (LIF) technique has met with limited success. The lasers which met our logistic requirements had insufficient energies to propagate through the troposphere and excite a target organism. The detectors, though sensitive enough, did not allow us to see a spectral distribution of the fluorescence return. Advances in laser and detector technology has now brought us higher energy, solid state lasers and very sensitive array detectors. Using this new technology we built and tested a Ultraviolet LIDAR against various interferents and a micro-organic contaminant. In this paper we describe the system and method used to detect and discriminate an aerosolized micro-organism at ranges up to 3 kilometers, and the results of this effort.