THEY are capable of detecting illnesses such as cancer and HIV/AIDS from the breath of a passer-by – potentially turning airports, train stations and other transport hubs into mass screening sites.

And if such devices sound like something out of science fiction, physicists based in Glasgow are working to make them a reality in a matter of years.

The team at the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, located at Strathclyde University, is leading a £10 million project to drive forward the development of faster, thumbnail-sized technology which will exploit the properties of atoms and subatomic particles.

Among the innovations being pioneered are tiny spectrometers designed to pick up the presence of disease-specific particles exhaled by lots of people simultaneously.

They do this by separating out the colours of photons emitted by a particle, thus allowing identification of its signature in the optical spectrum.

From there, the infection or condition can be detected.

It is hoped the technology could provide a rapid, precise means of tracking pathogens such as flu and SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes Covid-19.

Dr Loyd McKnight, senior researcher for quantum technologies at the Fraunhofer Centre, said: “You could position the spectrometer in a public place – an airport or a train station - and carry out remote screening on lots of different people.

“If someone breathes, you have a range of particles there and you could analyse that without carrying out an invasive procedure. And you could be detecting an illness that people did not suspect they had.”

Dr McKnight said spectrometerbased mass screening could be rolled out sooner than we might think.

“We have prototype spectrometer devices at the moment, which are the size of a small desk,” he explained.

“One of the things we want to do in this project is make them smaller and more reliable, so you can commercialise them. Virus detection is quite a new thing. We don’t have precise evidence that Covid could be identified in this way, but you can identify other viruses – HIV, flu – using this approach, so there’s every reason to hope we could have a Covid sensor in the next five years.”

Dr McKnight said the technology could be applied in a range of different ways.

“We can create new levels of sensitivity which weren’t possible before,” he added.

“We can also encode information onto single photons, which allows us to have very secure communication. At the moment, existing channels of communication can be eavesdropped or subject to hacking, so the technology gives us the opportunity to protect critical infrastructure such as banks or power stations.

“It could also lead to technology which could be installed on commercial aircraft, providing very precise and secure navigation.”

Dr McKnight said Scotland was a natural base for the work, adding: “We are world leaders in photonics, lasers and photon detection.

“We have many companies which manufacture these devices – laser or detector products – I suppose that’s because of the strong science base in the country, at universities such as Strathclyde, Glasgow, St Andrews and Heriot-Watt.”

Fraunhofer will work with a range of leading institutions and companies to develop the research. These include Strathclyde University, Southampton University, INEX Microtechnology and Caledonian Photonics Ltd.

Roger McKinlay, Challenge Director for the UK Quantum Technologies Challenge, said: “This is an outstanding team with – in Fraunhofer CAP – a skilled leader.”

He added: “The assembly and integration processes addressed by this project are not only essential for the creation of new quantum products but are rich in the know-how through which the UK will establish a strong internationally competitive position.”