Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

LIBS, is a spectroscopy technique in which a short laser pulse beam is focused on a target sample. Laser energy ionizes the sample material by heating it, creating small area of plasma. Excited ions in the plasma state emits light waves which are collected and the spectrum is resolved by a spectrometer and analyzed by suitably calibrated photon or light detector. Each chemical element has a unique wavelength or signature which can be optically resolved from the obtained spectrum. As result, the composition of the elements which constitutes in the target sample can be determined.