Scientists use radio waves for explosives detection

Feb 6, 2007 3:45 PM

Scientists in Japan have developed a technique to detect explosives such as TNT in landmines or luggage using radio waves.

Writing in Superconductor Science and Technology journal this week, they said the technique is superior to conventional methods of detection such as X-rays, and can identify different types of white powder, from flour and salt to drugs and explosives, Reuters reports.

The technique can also identify landmines, an improvement over traditional metal detectors that cannot tell bits of metal in the ground from an actual mine.

"Until now it has been very difficult to detect specific explosives such as TNT because they contain atoms of nitrogen that vibrate at very low frequencies," says Professor Hideo Itozaki at Osaka University, one of the authors of the paper.

The scientists created a so-called superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), which has a sensitive magnetic field sensor to detect nitrogen, an element found in many explosives, including TNT.

"The SQUID chip itself is very small, only in the order of half an inch. But it needs liquid nitrogen for cooling," another researcher, He Dongfeng, tells Reuters.
"This will not hinder the equipment from being used in places such as airports as liquid nitrogen is becoming much easier to deal with and is already routinely used in hospitals and laboratories," Itozaki says.

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

This month in Access Control

• Targeting The Customer
• Electronic Pedigrees
• One Hero Among Many
• Who? What? When? Where? Why?
• More from September's issue