LIBS : laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (Libs) or Laser Induced Plasma Spectroscopy (Lips) are two names describing more or less the same application.
What does it do ?
Libs analyzes components (atoms/molecules) in solid or powder materials, but also in gases or liquids or even aerosols.
Libs uses the fact that any material brought to a high temperature gives off light. The spectral composition of this light is characteristic of the heated material. To obtain this very high temperature, the Libs principle is dawn from the interaction between laser and material.
A laser pulse (a flash lasting) 10 ns of energy representing several 10mJ) is focused into the surface of a material (Æ » 20 µm) to create micro-plasma. A spectrometer carries out the spectrum analysis of the light emitted within the microseconds following excitation.
The typically analyzed spectral band is [200 ;950] nm with a resolution of 0.1 nm.
Applications :