Multipoint method for identifying hazardous agents

Abstract

The invention relates to apparatus and methods for assessing occurrence of a hazardous agent in a sample by performing multipoint spectral analysis of the sample. Methods of employing Raman spectroscopy and other spectrophotometric methods are disclosed. Devices and systems suitable for performing such multipoint methods are also disclosed.

1 . A method of assessing the occurrence of a hazardous agent in a sample located in a field of view, the method comprising: irradiating said sample to thereby generate a first plurality of interacted photons from a first set of multiple points in the sample, wherein said first plurality of interacted photons are selected from the group consisting of: photons absorbed by said multiple points, photons reflected by said multiple points, photons emitted by said multiple points, and combinations thereof, and wherein said first set of multiple points represent a portion of total points in the field of view; assessing said first plurality of interacted photons to thereby generate a first spectroscopic data set representative of said sample; and analyzing said first spectroscopic data set to thereby determine at least one of: the presence of a hazardous agent in said sample and the absence of a hazardous agent in said sample. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said first plurality of interacted photons are assessed using at least one of: infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, UV/visible spectroscopy, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said hazardous agent comprises at least one chemical agent. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said hazardous agent comprises at least one biological agent. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said hazardous agent comprises at least one microorganism. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said hazardous agent comprises at least one bacterium. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said hazardous agent comprises at least one protozoan. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said hazardous agent comprises at least one virus. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising passing said first plurality of interacted photons through a filter. 
     
     
         10 . The method of claim  42  wherein said filter is selected from the group consisting of: Fabry Perot angle tuned filter, an acousto-optic tunable filter, a liquid crystal tunable filter, a Lyot filter, an Evans split element liquid crystal tunable filter, a Sole Liquid crystal tunable filter, and a liquid crystal Fabry Perot tunable filter, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising passing said first plurality of interacted photons through an interferometer. 
     
     
         12 . The method of claim  44  wherein said interferometer is selected from the group consisting of:
 a polarization-independent imaging interferometer, a Michelson interferometer, a Sagnac interferometer, a Twynam-Green interferometer, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and a tunable Fabry Perot interferometer, and combinations thereof. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising passing said first plurality of interacted photons through a dispersive spectrometer. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said first plurality of interacted photons are collected using a device selected from the group consisting of: a telescope, a macroscope, a microscope, an endoscope, a fiber optic array, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said first set of multiple points have a defined geometric relationship. 
     
     
         16 . The method of claim  48  wherein the geometric relationship of said first set of multiple points is defined based on a spectroscopic feature of the sample. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein interacted photons from at least three points is assessed. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  wherein interacted photons from at least five points is assessed. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the interacted photons from at least ten points is assessed. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the interacted photons from at least fifty points is assessed.