Lasers and Laser-Source Technologies

LIBS has transitioned from a method found only in research laboratories, to a technique in wide use in commercial settings. Several leading LIBS experts share their views on how the technique has developed and where it is heading.

Geochronology is an exciting area of atomic spectroscopy and earth science research. One of the goals is to answer tectonic questions, and in particular, how the crust responds to continent–continent collision. John M. Cottle, a professor of earth science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is one of the scientists on that mission. Cottle and his research group are at the forefront of discovery in geochronology, combining both laboratory and field-based research. In particular, Cottle is a leader in the development of novel laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) measurements and their application to tectonic questions in convergent orogens, which are mountain ranges formed when a continental plate crumples and is pushed upwards.

For an emergent analytical technique to be adopted, its proponents must find applications where it offers significant benefits over established techniques, such as sensitivity, speed, cost, or ease of use, or some combination of those. For laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), identifying its ideal niche has been one of the challenges in gaining followers. To assess where LIBS is being used today, what new areas are emerging, and how well LIBS competes with other methods in those new areas, we asked a panel of experts for their views.

In honor of Spectroscopy’s celebration of 30 years covering the latest developments in materials analysis, we asked experts to assess the current state of the art of six key spectroscopic techniques. Here, the experts weigh in on the key challenges in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and how these problems might be solved.

In honor of Spectroscopy's celebration of 30 years covering the latest developments in materials analysis, we asked a panel of experts to assess the current state of the art of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and to try to predict how technology will develop in the future.

This article explores the use of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for measurements of elemental concentrations and bulk properties of heterogeneous, earthen-based samples. Rapid field and industrial measurements of these matrices are difficult using traditional methods.

NASA's Curiosity rover landed inside the 3.7-billion-year-old Gale Crater on Mars on August 6, 2012, and it has been obtaining data about the planet?s rocks and soils with its ChemCam instrument ever since. We recently spoke with Roger Wiens of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Principal Investigator of the ChemCam instrument, about the instrument's laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) capabilities.

Dr. Richard R. Hark, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, discusses his work with LIBS in applications such as forensic science, conflict minerals, and geochemical fingerprinting.

This article describes measurements of isotopes of hydrogen, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and chlorine using laser ablation molecular isotopic spectrometry (LAMIS).

The choices for LIBS hardware are discussed in detail, particularly lasers and spectrometers, and the trade-offs between cost, size, and performance are illustrated.

Everyone loves a list, and the editors of Spectroscopy are no exception! In 2013, Spectroscopy covered a wide array of topics throughout the year to bring you the most relevant information for your work, on topics ranging from selecting the right ICP-MS system to deciding which Raman technique is right for you, from our annual salary survey to calibration transfer. Here is a list of 13 popular articles and columns from 2013

An overview for those considering implementation of LIBS to solve a particular analytical problem, and an introduction for those interested in learning more about LIBS. Part I concentrates on the basics of the measurement and typical implementation.

Click here to view the complete Wavelength newsletter from December 10, 2013.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can be used to determine the elemental composition of any sample, whether it's a solid, a liquid, or a gas. Steven Rehse of the University of Windsor (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) focuses on various applications of LIBS, including medical analyses. In this interview, Rehse discusses the use of LIBS for analyzing biomedical specimens such as tissues and bacteria, the limitations of the technique for biomedical applications, and possible future research with LIBS.

Click here to view the complete Wavelength newsletter from October 8, 2013.

Spectroscopy recently spoke with Dr. Dominic Hare, a senior research officer at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Australia, about his work using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to study metals in the brain. His research highlights the role that iron plays in Parkinson's disease in the hopes to better understand the causes of the disease and eventually find an appropriate treatment.

Rick Russo, the winner of the 2013 Lester W. Strock Award, is known for important advances in laser ablation for use in spectrochemical analysis. In a new interview, he talks about those developments, how his career developed, and what it's like, as a research scientist, to lead a start-up company.

Data from NASA's high-resolution ICESat lasers indicate that ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica are melting faster than scientists thought.

The author discusses the evolution of thought with regard to LIBS-based analysis of aerosol systems and provides insight into future research directions.

The United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has been applying standoff laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to hazardous material detection and determination. We describe several standoff systems that have been developed by ARL and provide a brief overview of standoff LIBS progress at ARL. We also present some current standoff LIBS results from explosive residues on organic substrates and biomaterials from different growth media. These new preliminary results demonstrate that standoff LIBS has the potential to discriminate hazardous materials in more complex backgrounds.

In this column, Guest Columnist Philip Taday explores the use of terahertz spectroscopy for tablet coating analysis.

This month's Technology Forum looks at the topic of optics and lasers and the trends and issues surrounding it. Joining us for this discussion are Rob Morris, Director of Marketing, Ocean Optics, Inc.; and Phil Taday, Applications Group Leader, fromTeraView Limited.

Ellipsometry is the analysis of the change in the state of polarized light after it has reflected from the surface of a thin film sample. Laser ellipsometry, which has certain advantages and disadvantages, is a subset of this market. Applications for laser ellipsometry prinarily are related to the semiconductor and electronics industry, but its use in the life sciences could offer significant new demand.

This month's Technology Forum looks at the topic of optics and lasers and the trends and issues surrounding them. Joining us for this discussion are Rob Morris, with Ocean Optics, Sergey Mirov, with University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dan Merdes, with Penn State University, and Tim Kane, with Penn State University.

The potential utility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as a means to detect biological contaminants on painted surfaces is investigated.