Greenall, N orcid.org/0000-0002-7700-0549, Valavanis, A orcid.org/0000-0001-5565-0463, Desai, HJ orcid.org/0000-0002-2383-9293 et al. (6 more authors) (2017) The Development of a Semtex-H Simulant for Terahertz Spectroscopy. Journal of Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves, 38 (3). pp. 325-338. ISSN 1866-6892
Abstract
The development and use of terahertz (THz) frequency spectroscopy systems for security screening has shown an increased growth over the past 15 years. In order to test these systems in real-world situations, safe simulants of illicit materials, such as Semtex-H, are required. Ideally, simulants should mimic key features of the material of interest, such that they at least resemble or even appear indistinguishable from the materials of interest to the interrogating technique(s), whilst not having hazardous or illicit properties. An ideal simulant should have similar physical properties (malleability, density, surface energy and volatility to the material of interest); be non-toxic and easy to clean and decontaminate from surfaces; be recyclable or disposable; and be useable in a public environment. Here, we present a method for developing such an explosive simulant (for Semtex-H) based on a database of THz spectra of common organic molecules, and the use of a genetic algorithm to select a mixture of compounds automatically to form such a simulant. Whilst we focus on a security application, this work could be applied to various other contexts, where the material of interest is dangerous, impractical or costly. We propose four mixtures that could then be used to test the spectral response of any instrument, working at terahertz frequencies, without the need for an explosive substance.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016, The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. |
Keywords: | Terahertz; Semtex; Genetic algorithm; Explosive; Simulant; Time-domain spectroscopy |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Electronic & Electrical Engineering (Leeds) > Pollard Institute (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemistry (Leeds) > Physical Chemistry (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EPSRC EP/I026657/1 Royal Society WM110032 Royal Society WM150029 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 18 Nov 2016 11:51 |
Last Modified: | 12 Dec 2024 15:25 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10762-016-0336-z |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Verlag |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s10762-016-0336-z |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:107475 |