Systems and methods for individually trapping particles from air and measuring the optical spectra or other properties of individual trapped particles
AssigneeU.S. Army Research Laboratory ATTN: RDRL-LOC-I
InventorsSteven C. Hill, Yongle Pan
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for continuously sampling particles from air. In one embodiment, a system for continuously sampling particles from air may include: an airflow system configured to continuously draw air including airborne particles into the system; a photophoretic trap that uses photophoretic forces of a laser beam to trap one or more of the airborne particles from the drawn air; a measurement device configured to measure one or more properties of the trapped one or more airborne particles; and a controller configured to repeatedly trap, measure and release one or more airborne particles.
Claims23
A system for continuously sampling particles from air comprising:
- an airflow system configured to continuously draw air including airborne particles into the system;
- a photophoretic trap that uses photophoretic forces of a laser beam to trap one or more of the airborne particles from the drawn air;
- a measurement device configured to measure one or more properties of the trapped one or more airborne particles;
- and
- a controller configured to repeatedly trap, measure and release one or more airborne particles.
A method for continuously sampling particles from air, comprising:
- continuously directing air including airborne particles toward a photophoretic trap that uses photophoretic forces of a laser beam to trap one or more of the airborne particles;
- detecting an airborne particle in the air approaching and/or within the photophoretic trap;
- trapping one or more airborne particles in the photophoretic trap;
- measuring a property of the trapped one or more airborne particles;
- and
- releasing the trapped one or more airborne particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.