Towards a FAST-CARS anthrax detector: Analysis of cars generation from DPA

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Abstract
Femtosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) of dipicolinic acid (DPA), a marker molecule for bacterial spores of anthrax, has been investigated. The temporal evolution of the CARS response of DPA was examined using two ultrafast pulses to ‘pump’ the DPA and a third pulse to probe the response. In one set of experiments, a single detector recorded the temporal behaviour of the signal as a function of different pump conditions. In another set of experiments, the full anti-Stokes spectrum was recorded as a function of probe delay. The data from both experiments displayed a strong, instantaneous response and a structured transient response. The implications of these data for molecular detection are discussed.

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