FLUORESCENCE REMOVAL FROM RAMAN SPECTRA BY POLARIZATION SUBTRACTION

A method for utilizing polarization as a scheme for fluorescence removal from UV Raman spectra collected in a standoff detection scheme has been invented. In this scheme, a linearly polarized ultraviolet (UV) laser interacts with a material on a surface or in a container. The material generates Raman scattering with polarization contributions relative to that of the laser. The material possibly fluoresces as well, but the fluorescence is generally unpolarized. By subtracting a scaled version of the perpendicular component from the parallel component of the returned signal both relative to the laser source polarization-it is possible to generate a spectrum that is fluorescence free and contains the strongest features of the Raman scattered light.