Autonomous, broad-spectrum detection of hazardous aerosols in seconds.

Actual or surrogate chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive materials and illicit drug precursors can be rapidly detected and identified when in aerosol form by a Single-Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (SPAMS) system. This entails not only the sampling of such particles but also the physical analysis and subsequent data analysis leading to a highly reliable alarm state. SPAMS hardware is briefly reviewed. SPAMS software algorithms are discussed in greater detail. A laboratory experiment involving actual threat and surrogate releases mixed with ambient background aerosols demonstrates broad-spectrum detection within seconds. Data from a field test at the San Francisco International Airport demonstrate extended field operation with an ultralow false alarm rate. Together these data sets demonstrate a significant and important advance in rapid aerosol threat detection.