LIBS range extended through the use of a transportable terawatt laser system

Abstract

Purpose

This article provides details of recent research in France and Germany which has extended the operational range of the laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique through the use of a transportable terawatt laser, the “Teramobile”.

Design/methodology/approach

The high power of the Teramobile's laser generates self‐guided filaments of light which overcome the diffraction limit that restricts the range of conventional pulsed laser sources in air to around 100 m. The system can deliver laser intensities of around 10¹³ W/cm² to locations at a distance of several kilometer without focusing. It has been used in a variant of the LIBS technique termed remote filament‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (R‐FIBS).

Findings

Experiments have shown that the R‐FIBS technique can analyse metal samples for elemental composition at a range of up to 180 m. Further work offers prospects to extend the range to as much as 1 km.

Originality/value

This research illustrates that a transportable terawatt laser can be used as the source in the new R‐FIBS technique, suggesting many remote sensing analytical applications such as environmental monitoring, detecting chemical and biological warfare agents, monitoring the composition of molten metals and identifying radioactive waste.

Citation

Bogue, R. (2005), "LIBS range extended through the use of a transportable terawatt laser system", Sensor Review, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 105-108. https://doi.org/10.1108/02602280510585673