Application Of Resonance Raman Spectroscopy As A Nuclear Proliferation Detection Technology

Resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS) potentially possesses many of the characteristics of an ideal verification technology. Some of these ideal traits are: very high selectivity and specificity to allow the deconvolution of a mixture of the chemicals of interest, high sensitivity in order to measure a species at trace levels, high reliability and long-term durability, applicability to a wide range of chemicals capability for sensing in a variety of environmental conditions, independence of the physical state of the chemical capability for quantitative analysis, and finally, but no less important capability for full signal development within seconds. In this presentation, the potential of RRS as a detection/identification technology for chemicals pertinent to nuclear materials production and processing will be assessed. A review of the basic principles behind this technique, both theoretical and experimental, will be discussed along with some recent results obtained in this laboratory. Raman scattering is a coherent, inelastic, two-photon scattering process where an exciting photon of energy hv promotes a molecule to a virtual level and the subsequently emitted photon is shifted in frequency in accordance with the rotational-vibrational structure of the irradiated species, therefore providing a unique fingerprint of the molecule. The enhancement of a Raman signal occurs when the excitation frequency is isoenergetic with an allowed electronic transition. Under resonance conditions, scattering cross-sections have been enhanced up to 6 orders of magnitude, thereby allowing the measurement of resonance Raman spectra from concentrations as dilute as 20 ppb for PAHs (with the potential of pptr). In detection/verification programs, this condition translates to increased sensitivity (ppm/ppb) and increased probing distance (m/km).