3) Metrology of molecules of defense interest

new innovative methodologic development has emerged regarding the metrology of molecules of defense interest using rotational spectroscopy in the microwave and millimeterwave ranges in collaboration with LPCA and ISL (METIS). The aim is to demonstrate that rotational spectroscopy in the gas phase has no equivalent in terms of selectivity and now offers levels of sensitivity allowing for the detection of explosive material vapors and their taggants.

For this purpose, a new cavity-based mmwave spectrometer has been developed at LPCA, which presents record detection thresholds in the domain. A first spectroscopic database of molecules of defense interest, as those that already exist for molecules of atmospheric and astrophysical interest, has been created based on data recorded and analyzed at PhLAM and LPCA. This database could in the future constitute an essential tool for defense research and innovation work by encouraging other researchers to provide their contributions of spectroscopic data associated with energetic materials and their taggants.

A demonstration of the capacity of the cavity-based mmwave spectrometer to recognize and quantify a targeted marker in a mixture of different markers and explosives prepared at ISL has been performed. In addition, we aim to develop an innovative and semi-automatic spectral taxonomy tool.