Laser‐Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Abstract

Laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a novel method of elemental analysis based on a laser‐generated plasma. Pulses from a laser are focused on a sample to atomize a small amount of material resulting in the formation of a microplasma. Because of the high plasma temperature, the resulting atoms are electronically excited to emit light. The plasma light is spectrallyresolved and detected to determine the elemental composition of the sample based on the unique emission spectrum of each element. Because of the simplicity of the method, it is suited for analyses that cannot be carried out using conventional methods of atomic emission spectroscopy (AES). This is particularly true for measurements that must be conducted outside of an analytical laboratory. A particular advantage of LIBS is the ability to analyze most types of samples without any preparation. This means that samples can be interrogated in situ, providing rapid measurement capability and permitting the method to be used in the analysis of gases, liquids, and solids in a variety of different sampling configurations. Although LIBS provides sensitive detection for many elements, it is not an ultrasensitive detection technique. In addition, under field conditions, the method typically does not provide the high accuracy and precision offered by laboratory‐based methods of AES.

Optimal laser-pulse energy partitioning for air ionization

“…This competition between recombination and attachment also allows us to estimate the absolute electron density in our experiment: An average free electron decay time of 7 ns at 1/e for a single pulse corresponds to 1.6 × 10 15 electrons/cm 3 .…”

“…Laser-induced ionization is a key step in many applications of ultrashort laser pulses, including laser ablation [1,2], laserinduced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) [3,4], fast electric switching [5,6], or the control of high-voltage discharges [7][8][9] and lightning [10].…”

Analysis of heritage stones and model wall paintings by pulsed laser excitation of Raman, laser-induced fluorescence and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy signals with a hybrid system

“…Laser spectroscopies, such as Raman, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) are widely used for analysis of materials and substrates of cultural heritage [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Raman and LIBS have been commonly used together as they provide complementary information on molecular and elemental composition, respectively and in several studies, this combined approach has led to the integrated characterization of pigments and minerals [13][14][15][16][17].…”

Influence of distance between sample surface and focal point on spectral intensity of nanosecond laser-induced silicon plasma in air

“…4,5 Due to these advantages, LIBS becomes an efficient tool for elemental analysis on numerous industrial, environmental and archaeological applications. [6][7][8][9][10][11] As a result, people grow their demand for more perfect LIBS technology, leading to appear a lot of researches.…”