Estimation of the Limiting Sensitivity of Laser Fragmentation/Laser-Induced Fluorescence Technique for Detection of Nitrocompound Vapors in Atmosphere

-The limiting sensitivity of a technique for detecting vapors of nitrocompounds in the atmosphere based on laser fragmentation/laser-induced fluorescence is estimated in calculations with the developed kinetic model of the LF/LIF process. The calculations take into account the influence of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide as a limiting factor of the sensitivity of the technique in a real atmosphere. It is shown that if the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere does not exceed 10 ppb, the minimum detectable concentrations of nitrobenzene and o-nitrotoluene vapors are the ppb-level. It is also shown that the one-color excitation technique usually used for the detection of nitrocompounds does not allow attaining the maximal LF/LIF efficiency.