Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy for distinguishing different kinds of gunpowder

This article contains information about using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy for the security industry, particularly for distinguishing chosen different kinds of gunpowder. The original focus of described research was the observation of characteristic spectrum of gunpowder (spectral fingerprint) in the terahertz range of the electromagnetic spectrum to use the terahertz radiation for gunpowder detection and identification. The results of this research lead to the finding that researched samples of gunpowder do not have any characteristic spectral lines or peaks in the terahertz range of the electromagnetic spectrum up to 2 THz. However, the comparison of samples of different kinds of gunpowder proves the possibility of their distinguishing by their absorbance (absorption spectrum). Introduction information about motivation of authors, methods of measurement, samples preparation, results of measurements with their interpretation and discussion about the results with conclusion are the main parts of this article.