The quadrupole resonance properties of nondetonable explosive formulations for land mine detection machine calibration and testing

Explosive detection machines on the basis of quadrupole resonance (QR) technology are under development for land mine detection and other antiterrorism applications. The QR machines are optimized to detect the actual explosive ingredient in a detonable formulation and to ignore signals from other, benign materials. This presents a safety and logistical challenge for QR land mine detector testing and calibration because of the hazards involved when handling even small amounts of a detonable explosive. The detonation hazard can be mitigated by adding inert materials (desensitizers) to coat the crystalline explosive. The effect on the QR signal of various types of inert material is examined, with a view to developing a safe QR land mine target.