Terahertz Spectrometer Reliably Identifies Explosives and Narcotics in Mail Pieces

Published on January 2, 2014 at 6:12 AM

http://www.azooptics.com/News.aspx?newsID=18408

Does that incoming postal dispatch hold merely a harmless letter – or a bomb? Does it possibly contain drugs? T-COGNITION, the terahertz spectrometer helps to swiftly clear-up the question. This analytical device reliably identifies explosives and narcotics in mail pieces, and is primarily suited for use at embassies, public offices and correctional facilities.

Letters can be pushed through an input lid into the spectrometer. These are then exposed on the inside to terahertz waves. Detectors collect the reflected and transmitted waves, and compare the spectra with those on a database. Within a few seconds, the data points light up either red or green on the screen of the device – depending on whether any hazardous substances were detected or not. The use of the technology has multiple advantages: Terahertz waves that lie within the electromagnetic spectrum between infrared and microwave are not dangerous, penetrate packaging materials and produce – depen- ding on what kind of materials they hit – characteristic spectra that can be swiftly analyzed with the aid of intelligent software.

T-COGNITION is the result of a research collaboration between the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM in Kaiserslautern and the Kassel-based Hübner GmbH Co. KG that has since brought the Terahertz spectrometer on the market. The antennas on the inside of the compact device (60 x 72 x 73 centimeters) were engineered jointly by researchers at IPM and the Carnot Institute IEMN (Institut d’Electronique, Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologies) in Lille.

Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM
Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße / Geb. 56 | 67663 Kaiserslautern | www.ipm.fraunhofer.de
Contact: Dr. Joachim Jonuscheit | Phone +49 631 205-5107 |joachim.jonuscheit@ipm.fraunhofer.de
Press: Holger Kock | Phone +49 761 8857-129 | holger.kock@ipm.fraunhofer.de

Source: http://www.fraunhofer.de/