Date
March 2014
Overview
The discovery of more effective methods to detect and restore erased markings in firearms is of great interest to firearm examiners, in particular the invention of new non‐destructive methods. Magneto optical (MO) sensor technology may address this need. The sensor’s operating principle is the Faraday‐effect, which allows for the real‐time visualization and analysis of the magnetic distribution of sample materials. When compared to the two gold standards in serial number restoration, the MO sensor technology outperforms both in performance and utility.
For additional information, check out the article "Magneto-Optical Technology shows promise in "Unerasing" Serial Numbers" in the September/October issue of TechBeat. Click here to access the article.
To view the virtual archival of our round table discussion on this technology, please click here.
Funding for this Forensic Technology Center of Excellence report was provided by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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