The Detection of Explosive Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) Using Optical Microcavity

Abstract

Optical microcavity, which is based on light-matter interaction, has the advantage of high sensitivity as a sensor. It has been widely used in the security, medicine, and environment fields these years. Detection of atoms and molecules at the nanoscale is one of the practical usages of optical microcavity. In this paper, we focus on a ultra-high-quality factor optical microcavity of whispering gallery mode (WGM) to detect the explosive of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX). To demonstrate the high sensitivity of the method, we detect the solution at different concentrations. Different types of optical microcavities are suitable for the detection of different matters. Considering the effects of the results and the simplicity of operation, we use silica microspheres chiefly. This is the first time to detect the explosive using highly sensitive optical microcavity. The detection of pure explosives will be helpful for establishing the database of the explosives.