High-sensitive automatic transient laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system with high temporal and spatial resolution

A high-sensitive automatic transient laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system is designed and integrated. It successfully avoids the delay time selecting problem in conventional LIBS system, and realizes the LIBS data acquisition with high spatiotemporal resolution automatically. Multiple transient spectra can be obtained in each measurement, which will provide more information for spectral research. The water-vapour and liquid-water Raman scattering spectra are captured by this system, and the comparison of experimental water-vapour Raman scattering spectrum with theoretical data verifies the reliability of the LIBS system. Based on this system, the air laser induced air breakdown spectra are captured and analysed. The system is also useful for the research on water-vapour Raman Lidar remote sensing.     

Spectroscopic analysis using a hybrid LIBS-Raman system

A novel setup, combining two spectroscopic techniques, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman spectroscopy in a hybrid unit, is described. The work presented herein is part of a broader project that aims to demonstrate the applicability of the hybrid LIBS-Raman unit as an analytical tool for the investigation of samples and objects of cultural heritage. The system utilizes a nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser (532 nm) for both LIBS and Raman analysis. In the Raman mode, a low intensity beam from the laser probes the sample surface and the scattering signal is collected into a grating spectrograph coupled to an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) detector, which records the Raman spectrum. In the LIBS mode a single high intensity pulse from the laser irradiates the sample surface and the time- and spectrally-resolved emission from the resulting laser ablation plume yields the LIBS spectrum. The use of a non-gated CCD detector was found to produce similar quality data (in terms of S/N ratio and fluorescence background) in the Raman mode, while in the LIBS mode spectral features were clearly broader but did not prevent identification of prominent atomic emission lines. Several model pigment samples were examined and the data obtained show the ability of the hybrid unit to record both Raman and LIBS spectra from the same point on the sample, a clear advantage over the use of different analytical setups. PACS 39.30.+w; 82.80.Dx; 82.80.Gk; 52.38.Mf     

激光诱导击穿光谱与拉曼光谱技术在危险物检测中的研究进展

炸药、生物及化学危险物检测在反恐和公共安全领域具有重要应用价值,也是目前亟需解决的问题。激光诱导击穿光谱技术利用高能激光脉冲诱导材料产生等离子体,通过探测等离子体辐射光谱从而分析其组成成分。拉曼光谱技术是基于非弹性光散射的一种光谱检测方法,可以反映分子的振动信息。由于它们都具有快速和非接触遥测的优点,成为最有发展潜力和应用前景的危险物检测技术。介绍了激光诱导击穿光谱、拉曼光谱以及二者联合探测技术在危险物检测中的国内外发展现状,并对各自的优缺点进行了分析。激光诱导击穿光谱信号强、实时性好,但重复性差、基底效应影响显著,在判别组成元素相同而分子结构不同的危险物和干扰物时面临巨大挑战。拉曼光谱能够提供被测物的分子信息,适合于鉴别有机危险物,但信号弱、受荧光干扰大、检测低浓度样品及分析混合物的能力弱,外场使用时受周围杂散光以及环境变化的影响大。将这两种光谱探测技术相融合,发挥各自的优点,可以有效地提高探测危险物的准确度。但两种光谱联合探测系统结构和数据处理复杂,成本高,还有许多技术难点亟需解决。文章最后,对危险物激光诱导击穿光谱和拉曼光谱研究的前景进行了展望。     

Laser-induced plasma in methane and dimethyl ether for flame ignition and combustion diagnostics

In this paper we report the investigation of the laser-induced breakdown and ignition behaviour of methane/air and dimethyl ether (DME)/air mixtures. Moreover, the optical emission from the induced plasma is utilized for determining the mixture composition quantitatively by means of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, LIBS and laser ignition of DME have not been reported in literature before. The technique under investigation is finally employed for combustion diagnostics in laminar as well as turbulent flames. In the laminar premixed and non-premixed flames the LIBS spectra allow spatially resolved measurements of the equivalence ratio and enable studying the mixing of gases provided through the burner with the surrounding room air. In addition, the breakdown threshold of the applied laser pulse energy yields an estimate for the local temperature. In the turbulent cases single-shot LIBS spectra are recorded at fixed position allowing the derivation of local statistical fluctuations of the equivalence ratio in partially premixed jet flames. The results show that laser-induced breakdowns have a strong potential for flame diagnostics and, under suitable conditions, for the ignition of combustible mixtures.     

Na_2SO_4溶液激光拉曼/激光诱导击穿光谱联合探测

光谱技术应用于海底极端环境下多参数、多相态、无接触探测已成为深海化学传感器发展的一个重要方向,尤其是水下激光拉曼光谱技术和水下激光诱导击穿光谱技术正成为目前研究开发的热点。该工作旨在探索一项水下激光诱导击穿光谱与激光拉曼光谱(LIBS-LRS)联合探测技术,以实现LIBS和拉曼两种检测技术在检测系统上的整合,在信息获取上的互补。在实验室搭建了一套LIBS-LRS联合探测装置,该装置对于拉曼和LIBS采用同样的激发光源、光谱仪和探测器,前置光路分为两部分:拉曼光路和LIBS光路,分别收集Na_2SO_4溶液的拉曼信号和LIBS信号。前置光路收集的拉曼和LIBS信号由Y型光纤导入光谱仪,分别在面阵CCD不同区域进行探测。利用该装置对配置的Na_2SO_4溶液进行探测,同时获得了Na元素的LIBS信号和SO~(2-)_4拉曼信号。另外,随着激光能量的提高,在532nm脉冲激光能量超过3.6mJ时,在拉曼光路同时获得了Na元素的LIBS信号和SO~(2-)_4拉曼信号,这样采用同一光路即可实现两种光谱技术的联合,然而实验发现,随着激光能量的增加,激光在溶液中击穿产生的轫致辐射造成了光谱探测基线整体的抬升,对拉曼光谱弱信号的探测是不利的。实验结果初步证明了在拉曼和LIBS在水下联合探测的可行性。     

激光诱导击穿空气等离子体光谱及半经验理论模拟

利用Nd∶YAG激光器输出的1 064 nm激光进行了激光诱导击穿空气光谱实验,测量了空气等离子体的时间分辨光谱。基于局域热动力学平衡模型,建立了模拟激光诱导击穿光谱的方法。对700~900 nm波段的空气等离子体光谱进行了模拟。通过模拟结果与实验结果的比较,进一步估算出了空气中氮、氧和氩的相对含量。     

LIBS和Raman光谱的VOCs在线探测

作为一种主要的大气污染物,挥发性有机物（VOCs）因其对大气环境极强的破坏性和生理毒性而受到广泛的关注,在线探测大气中挥发性有机物是一个极具挑战性的工作。将激光诱导击穿光谱（LIBS）与Raman光谱相结合,分别从原子发射光谱及分子结构信息角度对挥发性有机物进行了分析。在线原位检测得到的LIBS光谱观测到了Br元素特征谱线及N,O和H等空气所含元素特征谱线。实验成功探测到了挥发在空气中的邻氟溴苯,对于大气中溴的探测及其相关反应机理研究提供了支持。对于高能激光作用下产生的CN和C₂自由基分子,具体分析了二者产生机理。激光脉冲使空气中的氮气和邻氟溴苯的苯电离分解,邻氟溴苯中的碳原子与空气中的氮发生反应,会形成高温的等离子体,其中的碳氮原子再重新自由组合从而形成CN自由基并自发辐射,通过光谱仪可采集到该自由基的自发辐射的分子谱。待测样品邻氟溴苯分子含有苯环,分子中存在多个碳原子。在强激光作用下邻氟溴苯分子发生光解离,易于形成C₂自由基分子,并辐射产生C₂自由基光谱。实验验证了C₂自由基来自于邻氟溴苯样品里的苯环基团。为增加对挥发性有机物分子结构信息的了解,Raman光谱在线探测的引入很有必要。在样品Raman光谱实验结果的基础上,结合了密度泛函理论（DFT）对其振动模式及分布进行了计算拟合,对其振动产生的特征峰进行了标定并获得了其特征光谱指纹。强度较高的4个峰（310,833,1 036和1 244 cm-1）是C-Br键及C-F键振动表征,特别是前二者（310和833 cm-1）显示存在溴、氟原子位移,可作为该分子的特征光谱指纹对其进行识别。实验证明,LIBS与Raman光谱相结合应用至VOCs的在线探测具有很好的效果,对相关探测工作具有重要参考价值。     

LIBS-Raman光谱联合水下探测系统及初步试验

水下激光诱导击穿光谱技术(LIBS)和水下激光拉曼光谱技术(Raman)已在深海成功获得应用,这两种技术探测对象互补、器件类似,两者联合探测可更好的进行深海研究。针对此需求研发了一套LIBS-Raman光谱联合水下原位探测原理样机,整个系统集成于L790 mm×Φ270 mm的舱体内,在舱体前端有光学窗口和水密插头,舱体内部主要包括脉冲激光器、光谱仪、嵌入式计算机和供电转换装置,甲板控制终端通过水密电缆实现对系统的供电、控制和数据采集。该联合系统采用一台双波长脉冲激光器同时作为LIBS和拉曼光谱的激发光源,LIBS采用1 064 nm波长,拉曼光谱采用532 nm波长。双波长激光器发出的光束经分光镜分为两路,经过后向散射光路收集的两路信号分别进入两个小型光纤光谱仪进行分光探测,LIBS采用AvaSpec-ULS2048光谱仪,拉曼光谱采用QE 65000光谱仪。利用搭建的原理样机在青岛近海进行水下原位探测,在实验室开展了水中固体靶的探测,实验结果证明了LIBS-Raman联合光谱探测装置的可行性。下一步将优化系统并开展深海探测应用。     

An example of the complementarity of laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy and Raman microscopy for wall painting pigments analysis

Laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman microscopy were used for the identification of pigments in wall painting. Raman spectroscopy, which provides the molecular ‘fingerprint’ of the compound, is nowadays widely used by the archaeometry community, especially for pigment analysis. LIBS, which provides the elementary composition of samples, is a rapid noncontact method, enabling layer‐by‐layer analysis through a precise laser ablation of the sample. This work deals with the behavior of pigments after a LIBS analysis, by trying to identify the compounds before and after the laser shot. Six commercial pigments prepared with the fresco technique were investigated: ultramarine blue, red lead, charcoal, a yellow and a red ochre, and a green earth. Raman spectra, acquired on the sample surface and in the crater induced by LIBS analysis, were compared. The results show that these pigments are well recognized after a LIBS measurement. The analysis of green earth illustrates that the combination of these two techniques gives complete information from a sample. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

支持向量机算法在激光诱导击穿光谱技术塑料识别中的应用研究

基于支持向量机 (support vector machines, SVM) 算法采用激光诱导击穿光谱技术对11种塑料进行了识别. 每种塑料各采集100个光谱, 其中50个光谱作为训练集, 用于建立支持向量机模型, 剩下的50 个光谱作为测试集, 用于测试所建立支持向量机模型的识别精度. 结果表明测试集550个光谱中有543个光谱识别正确,算术平均识别精度达到了98.73%. 其中有6个聚氨酯 (PU) 光谱被误判为有机玻璃 (PMMA), 原因主要是受空气中氮气的影响, 使得有机玻璃和聚氨酯两种塑料在氮元素含量上的差异不能通过N I 746.87 nm, C-N(0,0) 388.3 nm两条谱线的强度准确表征. 本结果为LIBS技术塑料分类提供了方法和数据参考. 关键词： 支持向量机 激光诱导击穿光谱 塑料识别     

Research progress in Asia on methods of processing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy data

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has attracted much attention in terms of both scientific research and industrial application. An important branch of LIBS research in Asia, the development of data processing methods for LIBS, is reviewed. First, the basic principle of LIBS and the characteristics of spectral data are briefly introduced. Next, two aspects of research on and problems with data processing methods are described: i) the basic principles of data preprocessing methods are elaborated in detail on the basis of the characteristics of spectral data; ii) the performance of data analysis methods in qualitative and quantitative analysis of LIBS is described. Finally, a direction for future development of data processing methods for LIBS is also proposed.     

激光诱导击穿光谱对农药气溶胶的在线监测

作为现代农业的重要工具,农药凭借其高效的灭病虫害能力在农业生产中应用广泛,然而其灭杀虫害的同时对大气环境和人体健康等方面也会造成危害。使用激光诱导击穿光谱（LIBS）技术对农药的气溶胶喷雾进行了在线探测,研究了使用LIBS技术对农药使用过程的实时监测。首先检测了清洁环境下的空气LIBS光谱,在空气的光谱中探测到大量的氮（N）、氧（O）原子发射谱,这个结果与空气成分是相吻合的;同时还观察到了氢（H）的两条巴尔默系原子谱线,这主要是来源于空气中的水蒸气。值得注意的是,在空气谱中还发现了两条氩（Ar）的原子谱线,这也表明LIBS技术在微量元素检测方面有着重大潜力。选用农药敌杀死作为研究对象,对其有效成分溴氰菊酯（C₂₂H₁₉Br₂NO₃,CAS: 52918-63-5）进行了LIBS检测。在溴氰菊酯的LIBS光谱中观察到了卤素元素溴（Br）的存在,标记出了两条Br的原子发射谱线（827.294和833.470 nm）。对农药样品进行探测时也发现了包括CN分子发射谱与C₂分子发射谱等大量空气光谱中没有检测到的特征谱线;同时还检测到了空气谱中没有观测到的元素纳（Na）以及钙（Ca）;尤其是Ca,农药中不仅仅检测出了Ca的存在,而且相比于溴氰菊酯光谱中Ca谱线的能量以及数量都有着非常明显的上升。最后,实验中对CN分子的温度进行了研究;拟合得到溴氰菊酯与农药的CN分子的振动温度分别为8 800和6 200 K,转动温度分别为8 600和5 500 K。以上结果表明了使用LIBS技术对农药的在线监测是可行的,是有发展前景的。     

Detection of explosives with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Our recent work on the detection of explosives by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is reviewed in this paper. We have studied the physical mechanism of laser-induced plasma of an organic explosive, TNT. The LIBS spectra of TNT under single-photon excitation are simulated using MATLAB. The variations of the atomic emission lines intensities of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen versus the plasma temperature are simulated too. We also investigate the time-resolved LIBS spectra of a common inorganic explosive, black powder, in two kinds of surrounding atmospheres, air and argon, and find that the maximum value of the O atomic emission line SBR of black powder occurs at a gate delay of 596 ns. Another focus of our work is on using chemometic methods such as principle component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to distinguish the organic explosives from organic materials such as plastics. A PLS-DA model for classification is built. TNT and seven types of plastics are chosen as samples to test the model. The experimental results demonstrate that LIBS coupled with the chemometric techniques has the capacity to discriminate organic explosive from plastics.     

拉曼激发激光诱导电子荧光流场测量系统中标记过程的研究

研制了一套拉曼激光发激光诱导电子荧光空气流场测速系统,利用Nd:YAG激光器的二次谐波及其抽运的氧气受激拉曼散射作为标记光源,以ArF准分子激光作为荧光再现光源,并用像增强CCD摄像机（ICCD）记录荧光图像,成功地获得了纯氧及空气中的标记线的荧光图像,并进行了氧气喷流速度测量的初步研究。     

激光诱导击穿光谱测量偏差的物理影响因素研究

为了消除LIBS实际测量光谱谱线与标准的LIBS光谱谱线间存在的差值,提高元素测量精准度,提出了针对激光诱导击穿光谱测量偏差的物理影响因素研究。实验在相同条件下,对烧蚀孔效应和光谱波长的关系进行了测试,研究了激光诱导击穿光谱高温Mg等离子体在1.00～3.00 μs范围采样延时下的斯塔克(Stark)展宽数据,从而得出烧蚀孔效应和斯塔克延时展宽等物理因素对采集光谱造成的具体影响。研究结果及方法完全可以应用于其他激光诱导击穿光谱实验系统的误差分析,这对于提高LIBS技术的物质元素测量精准度,研究LIBS技术的最佳采样延时时间,具有重要意义。     

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in Asia

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an analytical detection technique based on atomic emission spectroscopy to measure the elemental composition. LIBS has been extensively studied and developed due to the non-contact, fast response, high sensitivity, real-time and multi-elemental detection features. The development and applications of LIBS technique in Asia are summarized and discussed in this review paper. The researchers in Asia work on different aspects of the LIBS study in fundamentals, data processing and modeling, applications and instrumentations. According to the current research status, the challenges, opportunities and further development of LIBS technique in Asia are also evaluated to promote LIBS research and its applications.     

Effect of crystal orientation on picosecond-laser bulk microstructuring and Raman lasing in diamond

In the paper we report on picosecond-laser bulk microstructuring and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in type IIa single-crystal diamond in the course of multipulse irradiation at λ=532 nm wavelength using an advanced ps-laser system equipped with additional setups for on-line video imaging and photoluminescence spectra measurements. The effect of crystal orientation (relative to the incident laser beam) on (i) optical breakdown thresholds, (ii) character of bulk modifications, and (iii) generation of stimulated Raman scattering in diamond during irradiation with picosecond pulses of different durations (τ ₁=10 ps and τ ₂=44 ps) is studied. It is shown that the processes of laser-induced breakdown in the bulk of diamond (at the backside of the crystals) and bulk microstructure growth are governed by the dielectric breakdown mechanism. It is found that generation of high-order stimulated Raman scattering in diamond crystals has a considerable effect on the threshold of laser-induced breakdown and bulk microstructuring. Conditions of the efficient SRS lasing are determined, depending on the pulse duration and the direction ([100] and [110]) of the laser beam incidence. A method of local temperature measurements in the bulk of diamond based on the Stokes-to-anti-Stokes intensity ratio in the recorded SRS spectra is proposed, its applicability to determine a “pre-breakdown” temperature of diamond during multipulse ps-laser irradiation is discussed.     

Spectral Characterization of Nitrogen in Farmland Soil by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Nitrogen is one of the most important elements in farmland soil, and nitrogen content is one of the evaluation indicators of fertilizers. It is difficult to measure the nitrogen content in farmland soil because the chemical and physical properties of farmland soil are complex. Through the adoption of buffer gases to remove the influence of the nitrogen in air, this paper studied the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) characteristics of nitrogen in soil to establish a foundation for in situ measurement of nitrogen in farmland soil. Three characteristic spectral lines have been found. Based on the precise controlling of laser power and triggering of delay time between laser generation and spectra collection, we have studied the effects of laser energy on LIBS spectral characteristics and the time evolution characteristics to supply the basis of parameter optimization for the measurement. In addition, we have studied the relationship between nitrogen concentration and LIBS spectral intensity. The results demonstrated that LIBS was an effective measurement method of nitrogen content in farmland soil with simple hardware structure, fast detection, and high precision.     

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Comparative Quantitative Analysis of Betel Leaves from Pakistan

Laser induced breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied for the elemental analysis and exposure of the heavy metals in betel leaves in air. Pulsed Nd∶YAG (1064 nm) in conjunction with a suitable detector (LIBS 2000+, Ocean Optics, Inc) having the optical resolution of 0.06 nm was used to record the emission spectra from 220 to 720 nm. Elements like Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, P, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Sr, and Zn were found to present in the samples. The relative abundances of the observed elements were calculated through standard calibration curve method, integrated intensity ratio method, and weight percentage LIBS approach. LIBS findings were validated by comparing its results with the results obtained using a typical analytical technique of Inductively Coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Limit of detection (LOD) of the LIBS system was also estimated for heavy metals. The experience gain through this work implies that LIBS could be highly applicable for testing the quality and purity of food products.     

Calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for quantitative elemental analysis of materials

The application of calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) for quantitative analysis of materials, illustrated by CF-LIBS applied to a brass sample of known composition, is presented in this paper. The LIBS plasma is produced by a 355?nm pulsed Nd:YAG laser with a pulse duration of 6?ns focussed onto a brass sample in air at atmospheric pressure. The time-resolved atomic and ionic emission lines of Cu and Zn from the LIBS spectra recorded by an Echelle spectrograph coupled with a gated intensified charge coupled detector are used for the plasma characterization and the quantitative analysis of the sample. The time delay where the plasma is optically thin and is also in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), necessary for the elemental analysis of samples from the LIBS spectra, is deduced. An algorithm relating the experimentally measured spectral intensity values with the basic physics of the plasma is developed. Using the algorithm, the Zn and Cu concentrations in the brass sample are determined. The analytical results obtained from the CF-LIBS technique agree well with the certified values of the elements in the sample, with an accuracy error <1%.