Combining Ultralow Energy Electron Attachment and Miniature Mass Spectrometry: A New Concept for a Hand Held Detector for Explosives and Nerve Agents

基础和发展工作将在超低能量电子与原子和分子的散射和附着方面进行。 目标是在五年内开发出一种用于检测神经毒剂和爆炸物的手持式仪器，误报率极低。 该系统基于零能量电子与恐怖分子物质的维格纳s波附着。 该系统已在JPL/Caltech进行了演示，并且是目前正在生产的商业仪器的基础。 基础性研究主要集中在Cs、CH_3 I、CD_3 I、DIMP和DMMP等物质上。 开发工作将是在带电粒子光学（在空间电荷限制电流的损失最小）和电子设备的手持系统。 还将展示使用低功率，高电流密度的碳纳米管组件作为电子电离源。 这项工作是利用类似的要求，在美国宇航局的行星计划，需要微型质谱。 这种灵活、广泛适用的手持工具肯定会成为基础设施的重要组成部分，用于保护空运和海运货物集装箱、空运和铁路终点站（人员和行李）、核电厂和过境点等设施免受恐怖主义入侵。

Both fundamental and developmental work will be carried out in the scattering and attachment of ultralow energy electrons to atoms and molecules. The goal is to develop within five years a hand-held instrument for detection of nerve agents and explosives with extremely low false alarm rate. This system is based on the Wigner s-wave attachment of zero-energy electrons to the terrorist substances. This system has been demonstrated at JPL/Caltech, and is the basis of commercial instruments now in production. The fundamental research will be on the species Cs, CH3I, CD3I, DIMP and DMMP. The developmental work will be in miniaturizing the charged-particle optics (with minimal loss in space-charge limited current) and electronics for a handheld system. Also demonstrated will be the use of a low-power, high current density carbon nanotubes assembly as an electron-ionizer source. This work is leveraged by similar requirements in NASAs planetary programs requiring miniature mass spectrometry. The flexible, broadly applicable hand-held tool will assuredly become a major part of the infrastructure for protecting against terrorist incursion facilities such as air and sea cargo containers, air and railroad terminals (personnel and luggage), nuclear power sites, and border crossings.