Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopic studies of marbles

We present laser-induced breakdown spectroscopic studies of variety of marbles extracted from Quetta region of Boluchistan, Pakistan using a Nd:YAG laser (532 nm) in conjunction with LIBS 2000 detection system. The emission spectra of Onyx (white spot) and Quetta Green Marble samples have been recorded as a function of laser irradiance. The elemental composition and their relative abundance in each sample are fond to be quite different. In Onyx (white spot), calcium dominates while in the Quetta Green marble magnesium is the dominant element. In addition the effect of the laser irradiance on the emission intensity, width and shift of the transition lines have been studied.     

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy: A versatile tool for monitoring traces in materials

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an emerging technique for simultaneous multi-elemental analysis of solids, liquids and gases with minute or no sample preparation and thus revolutionized the area of on-line analysis technologies. The foundation for LIBS is a solid state, short-pulsed laser that is focused on a sample to generate a high-temperature plasma, and the emitted radiation from the excited atomic and ionic fragments produced within the plasma is characteristic of the elemental composition of the sample that can be detected and analyzed using a suitable optical spectrograph. In the present paper, the applicability of LIBS for different solid samples having homogeneous (silver ornament, aluminum plate) or heterogeneous composition (soil) using nanosecond laser pulses is discussed. Nanosecond pulse laser makes plasma at the sample surface even at very low pulse energies and also allows for precise ablation of the substrate material with little damage to the surrounding area. We have also studied the penetration of different heavy metals inside the soil surface.      

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in archeological science: a review of its application and future perspectives

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in the last decades has become a promising analytical technique for a broad variety of archeological objects with great results obtained either alone or in combination with complementary techniques. It is mainly advantageous due to no sample preparation, minimally destructive, rapid analysis and depth profiling analysis spur LIBS technique to become a significant attractive technique for the characterization and conservation of archeological samples or artworks. The present paper describes in brief the basic principles and instrumentation of LIBS, and reviews several case studies on metallic alloys, ceramic, glass, painted artworks, historical buildings and biomaterials in the most recent 7 years (2011–2017) that demonstrate the applicability and prospects of LIBS in the field of archeological science.     

水中激光击穿空泡的高速摄影研究

为了分析激光击穿液体介质过程中的等离子腔体、空泡脉动、近/远场声波特性等综合效应,将高速摄影技术应用于水下激光击穿研究.观察到了激光击穿形成的等离子体闪光、空泡脉动及溃灭过程,通过对所得照片的分析,得到了激光空泡生长的规律,实验结果与已有的水下空泡理论计算及采用光散射、压力传感器测量结果吻合较好,证明了高速摄影技术在水下激光击穿产生空泡特性研究中的重要作用.     

Spectroscopic characterization of aluminum plasma using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

A detailed investigation of aluminum plasma induced by a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser in air was performed. The emission of spectral lines arising from Al I transition at 396.07 nm, Al II transition at 358.46 nm, Al III transition at 360.72 nm and Al IV transition at 363.05 nm were well-resolved. The plasma parameters including electron temperature and electron density were determined through the Boltzmann plot method using the emission line intensities of the same ionized stages of aluminum atoms and the Stark-broadening profiles of Al II emission line, respectively. The temporal evolutions of the spectral lines belonging to atomic and ionic aluminum elements and the plasma parameters were investigated at three different laser pulse energies. Moreover, the validity of local thermodynamic equilibrium was elucidated in our experimental condition.     

激光大气击穿阈值的数值分析

 针对大气中飞行器的等离子体隐身问题,数值计算了ns量级强激光击穿大气的阈值,讨论了一些相关条件对阈值的影响。结果表明：对于ns量级的入射激光,波长越长,大气的击穿阈值越小;气压越大,击穿阈值也越小;气体中存在的初始电子对不易产生光电离的长波长入射激光的击穿阈值,有明显的减少作用,但对短波长入射激光的击穿阈值几乎没有影响;脉宽越宽,激光辐照的时间越长,大气击穿的阈值越小。     

Trepanning of glass using the fourth harmonic of nanosecond pulse Nd:YAG laser

Using the fourth harmonic of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, the formation of a trepanned through hole of 1 mm in diameter in borosilicate glass of 140 μm thickness was achieved. The number of circular scans required to form a trepanned through hole, decreased rapidly with an increase in the number of the lines (circles) per circular scan. This result is interpreted as a decrease of beam propagation losses in the groove with an increase in the groove width. The number of irradiation pulses required to form a trepanned through hole increased rapidly with an increase in the number of lines (circles) per circular scan. The optimum condition for forming a trepanned through hole arises from the relationship between the irradiation pulse energy density, the number of irradiation pulses, and the number of lines (circles) per scan. PACS 52.38.Mf; 42.70.Ce; 42.62.Cf     

Laser-induced spark for simultaneous ignition and fuel-to-air ratio measurements

This work investigates the use of laser-induced gas breakdown for simultaneously igniting and measuring fuel-to-air ratio of CH₄–air and H₂–air combustible mixtures. The fuel-to-air ratio is determined using the measured spectral peak ratio I_o,Hα/I_o,OI. Sparks are produced using a single-mode, Q-switched Nd–YAG laser. The laser produces a beam of 6 mm in diameter at the wavelength of 1064 nm and pulse duration of 5.5 ns. The beam optics is designed to have mainly a beam splitter and a focusing lens. The beam splitter is coated to reflect the laser beam and transmit emission lines with wavelengths from 600 to 900 nm which are then collected by a fiberoptic cable and detected by an imaging spectrometer–detector assembly. The results showed a linear dependence of the spectral peak ratio on the equivalence ratio that can be generally expressed by φ=a(I_o,Hα/I_o,OI)+b, where a and b are the parameters that depend on the gas pressure. Using the least-square curve fitting technique to fit the experimental data, a calibration curve for calculating the equivalence ratio as a function of the ratio of (I_o,Hα/I_o,OI) was generated.     

Laser-induced breakdown spectra of Zn2 molecule in the violet region

Laser-induced breakdown spectrum has been recorded in the region of 380–455 nm using second harmonics of Nd:YAG laser, computer-controlled TRIAX 320 M monochromator with a reciprocal linear dispersion 2.64 nm/mm fitted with ICCD detector. The spectrum consists of 108 bands, which are classified into four new subsystems E0 _u ⁺ (¹Σ _u ⁺ ) → A1_g(³Π_g), J0 _g ^± \1_g(³Σ _g ⁺ ) → D1_u(¹Π_u), F1_u → A0 _g ^± (³Π_g) and F1_u → A2_g(³Π_g) along with additional bands of the known system E0 _u ⁺ (¹Σ _u ⁺ ) → A0 _g ^± (³Π_g). The molecular constants for these systems have also been determined.     

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in China

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy （LIBS） has been regarded as a future superstar for chemical analysis for years due to its unique features such as little or no sample preparation, remote sensing, and fast and multi-element analysis. Chinese LIBS comnmnity is one of the most dynamically developing communities in the World. The aim of the work is to inspect what have been done in China for LIBS development and, based on the understanding of the overall status, to identify the challenges and opportunities for the future development. In this paper, the scientific contributions from Chinese LIBS comlnunity are reviewed for the following four aspects： fimdamentals, instrumentation, data processing and modeling, and applications; and the driving force of LIBS development in China is analyzed, the critical issues for successful LIBS application are discussed, and in our opinion, the potential direction to improve the technology and to realize large scale commercialization in China is proposed.     

Laser-induced plasma-assisted ablation of fused quartz using the fourth harmonic of a Nd+:YAG laser

+ :YAG laser (266 nm) is reported. With the assistance of plasma resulting from laser irradiation on a metal target, the fused-quartz substrate is easily etched by the 266-nm laser beam in spite of the fact that the substrate is transparent to this wavelength. In contrast, no ablation takes place without the metal target, but damage is generated on the substrate surface. The ablated region is observed by optical microscopy and scanning probe microscopy (SPM), which reveal a fine grating structure (line spacing of 20 μm) without any severe damage. A series of experiments on the dependence of the ablation rate and the threshold laser fluence on ablation parameters, such as laser fluence, the number of pulses, and the distance between the fused quartz and the metal target is performed. On the basis of the results, three possible mechanisms of direct plasma interaction, plasma heating, and metal film deposition are discussed. Received: 27 February 1998/Accepted: 5 June 1998     

Laser-induced vibration during pulsed laser forming

In this study, the vibration phenomenon during pulsed laser forming of thin metal plates was investigated numerically and experimentally. The metal plates were made of 304 stainless steel and were heated by a CO₂ Gaussian laser beam with a long pulse duration of 0.1 s, which incited vibration due to the elastic–plastic deformation of the specimen. This uncoupled thermal–mechanical problem was solved using a three-dimensional finite element method and was subsequently satisfactorily verified with experiments. Using the superposition method with multiple laser pulses, the non-linear vibration phenomenon during pulsed laser forming has also been observed experimentally for thin plates.     

Laser-induced damage of Ta2O5/SiO2 narrow-band interference filters under different 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser modes

The laser-induced damage (LID) behavior of narrow-band interference filters was investigated with a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm under single-pulse mode and free-running mode. The absorption measurement of such coatings was performed with surface thermal lensing (STL) technique. The damage morphologies under the two different laser modes were also studied in detail. It was found that all the filters exhibited a pass-band-center-dependent absorption and laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) behavior, but the damage morphologies were diverse. The explanation was given with the analysis of the electric field distribution and the operational behavior of the irradiation laser.     

Polarization resolved laser induced breakdown spectroscopy by single shot nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser

Single shot nanosecond polarization resolved laser induced breakdown spectroscopy is introduced to spectrally analyse solid sample, e.g. copper. It is shown that continuum background emission of plasma generated by such laser pulse is much strongly polarized than discrete line radiation. By using the PRLIBS technique, continuum background emission is effectively suppressed. Furthermore, it is illustrated that polarization state of continuum emission in copper sample is mostly in vertical direction and, also, does not depend on laser beam polarization.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser using reflective pump optics

We have examined the performance of a diode-laser side-pumped Nd:YAG laser using elliptical mirrors to focus the output of 6 × 10 W laser-diode arrays into the Nd: YAG rod. The multimode cw output power was 14 W with an optical to optical efficiency of 29%. With a resonator designed for TEM₀₀ mode operation 12 W of output was achieved.     

Enhanced drilling using a dual-pulse Nd:YAG laser

A new method for improving the efficiency of laser drilling has been developed. Two synchronized free-running laser pulses from a tandem-head Nd:YAG laser are capable of drilling through 1/8-in-thick stainless-steel targets at a stand-off distance of 1 m without gas-assist. The combination of a high-energy laser pulse for melting with a properly tailored high-intensity laser pulse for liquid expulsion results in the efficient drilling of metal targets. We argue that the improvement in drilling is due to the recoil pressure generated by rapid evaporation of the molten material by the second laser pulse. Received: 29 August 2000 / Accepted: 18 December 2000 / Published online: 3 April 2001     

交叉棱镜腔Nd:YAG板条激光器

对稳定和非稳共焦型Nd:YAG板条激光器的特性作了理论分析和实验研究.证实了使用交叉棱镜腔的流动空气-水混合冷却板条激光器有高的光束质量和对棱镜失调的不灵敏性,可望获得某些实际应用.关键词:交叉棱镜腔,板条激光器.     

Classification of recyclables using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for waste management

With the ever-increasing amount of generated waste governments around the world are looking for, and implementing, ways to minimize waste output and maximize waste recovery. The main difficulties are sorting waste items, identifying the different types of plastics, and the time taken to sort them manually. Bioplastics such as polylactic acid and Novatein thermoplastic protein can be incorporated into the recycling stream to minimize waste. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy spectra analyzed by k-nearest neighbor and soft independent modeling by class analogy were investigated as methods that can rapidly identify recyclables. Raw, peak normalized, and total intensity normalized spectra were used to identify which would improve classification. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy spectra were generated by single laser shots to different locations on nine samples, glass (brown, green, and clear), tin, aluminum, polylactic acid, Novatein, polyethylene terephthalate, and high-density polyethylene. To prove that the system has the potential to be used on a waste sorting stream an autofocus unit was developed to move the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy beam into focus on the different sample geometries. Two classification methods were investigated, soft independent modeling by class analogy and the k-nearest neighbors algorithm. k-Nearest neighbors on raw spectra produced the best results. Discrimination between bioplastics and plastics were 100%. Glass samples could not be reliably distinguished from each other. Surface contamination produced three misclassifications from 450 spectra. Similar results were obtained when the spectral range was reduced from 182.26–908.07?nm to 313.20–495.12?nm.     

Subhertz-linewidth Nd:YAG laser

Light from a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm is independently stabilized to two Fabry-Perot etalons situated on separate vibration-isolation platforms. A heterodyne beat measurement shows their relative frequency stability to be at the part-in-10(15) level at 5 s and the relative linewidth to be less than 1 Hz.     

Cutting of nonmetallic materials using Nd:YAG laser beam

This study deals with Nd:YAG laser cutting nonmetallic materials, which is one of the most important and popular industrial applications of laser. The main theme is to evaluate the effects of Nd:YAG laser beam power besides work piece scanning speed. For approximate cutting depth, a theoretical study is conducted in terms of material property and cutting speed. Results show a nonlinear relation between the cutting depth and input energy. There is no significant effect of speed on cutting depth with the speed being larger than 30 mm/s. An extra energy is utilized in the deep cutting. It is inferred that as the laser power increases, cutting depth increases. The experimental outcomes are in good agreement with theoretical results. This analysis will provide a guideline for laser-based industry to select a suitable laser for cutting, scribing, trimming, engraving, and marking nonmetallic materials.