Researchers have been developing a camera technology technique to sniff out toxic gases including nerve gas or gases from a chemical spill and they are capable of performing the task from almost a mile away. This technology not only “sniffs” out the toxic gases but can distinguish one from another even when there is a complex mixture of chemicals present. A benefit of this technology is that scientists could use it to test for radioactive byproducts from nuclear accidents or as a way to monitor pollutants emanating from smokestacks or factories.
The camera technology behind this technique is using a form of “invisible light called terahertz radiation aka t-rays. T-rays have long been used to screen passengers at airports and to detect tumors. T-rays land between infrared radiation and microwaves on the electromagnetic spectrum. A high-resolution mid-wave infrared (MWIR) is the technology employed in the act of detecting the gases.
If researchers can “zap” a gas molecule with a t-ray beam it can produce a fingerprint called an absorption spectrum. It translates into something resembling a bar code when viewed by researchers. Terahertz sensors are nothing new for use in the detection of traces of gas and have been used in interstellar space and in controlled conditions in laboratories where they’ve been found to be sensitive enough to detect gases in parts per trillion measurements. The devices have been used by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Department in practice maneuvers.
The way it works is that researchers tune the beams into wavelengths that will match the molecule they’re looking for. Changes in the wavelengths alert them to the presence of toxic gases.
Currently researchers are focusing on industrial chemicals including carbon disulfide, nitric and sulfuric acid and ammonia. It can also detect methane, a greenhouse gas that is considered more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide.
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