ISSN 1017-2548(Print)
ISSN 2234-8530(Online)
Volume 55, Number 2
JKCSEZ 55(2)
April 20, 2011 

A particle counting system that can also provide sensitive, specific chemical information, while consuming very less power, occupying less space, and being inexpensive has been developed. This system uses a microwave plasma torch (MPT) as the excitation source for atomic emission spectrometry (AES). Emission from a single particle can be detected, and the wavelength at which the emission is observed indicates the elements present in the particle. It is believed that correlating the particle size and emission intensity will allow us to estimate the particle size in addition to abovementioned capabilities of the system. In the long term, this system can be made field-portable, so that it can be used in atmospheric aerosol monitoring applications, which require real-time detection and characterization of particles at low concentrations.