libs

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an analytical technique in which a short laser pulse is focused onto a sample to produce a microplasma. The optically thin plasma emits light as its excited atoms and ions relax, and the emitted spectrum contains characteristic lines of the elements present. By collecting and dispersing this light with a spectrometer and recording it with a detector, LIBS provides qualitative identification and, with proper calibration, quantitative concentration measurements.

Operation relies on a pulsed laser to ablate material from the sample surface, forming a plasma plume. A collection optic gathers the plasma emission and delivers it to a spectrometer, where wavelengths are separated and detected by a sensor such as a CCD or ICCD. Time-gated detection is often used to reduce background continuum and improve sensitivity. LIBS can analyze solids, liquids, powders, and aerosols with minimal to no sample preparation, and depth profiling is possible through successive laser pulses that ablate deeper layers.

Calibration and data interpretation depend on standards and/or chemometric methods to relate emission intensities to element concentrations. Matrix effects, self-absorption, and spectral interferences can affect accuracy, so calibration strategies typically require matrix-matched references and, in some cases, multivariate analysis.

LIBS offers advantages including speed, versatility, and portability, enabling in situ and field analysis. Limitations include relatively higher detection limits for light elements, challenging quantitative accuracy for complex matrices, and potential surface damage from ablation.

Applications span materials science, metallurgy, semiconductors, mining, environmental monitoring, archaeology, art conservation, forensics, and planetary exploration, with both handheld and laboratory LIBS systems in use.