Abstract

The need exists for sensors capable of measuring soil, groundwater, and airborne pollutants without laborious sample collection and analysis. Single-wavelength transmission, differential absorption, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), stimulated Raman scattering, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) are all highly sensitive methods for providing quantitative values of concentrations of chemical species. These optical techniques have been proven to provide high sensitivity and chemical selectivity for a large number of the materials on the EPA’s priority pollutant list.

© 1996 Optical Society of America