PNNL

Abstract

Ultrafast laser filament induced breakdown spectroscopy is a very promising method for remote material detection. We present characteristics of plasmas generated in a metal target by laser filaments in air. Our measurements show that the temperature of the ablation plasma is clamped along the filamentation channel due to intensity clamping in a filament. Nevertheless, significant changes in radiation intensity are noticeable, and this is essentially due to variation in the number density of emitting atoms. The present results also partly explains the reason for the occurrence of atomic plume during fs LIBS in air compared to long-pulse ns LIBS.