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Materials Characterization by Laser-Induced Plasma Acoustics and Spectroscopy

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Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy in Biological, Forensic and Materials Sciences

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Abstract

Plasma formation by focused high-power, short laser pulses on matter at atmospheric pressure is always accompanied by a characteristic snapping sound. The fraction of incoming energy absorbed by the material contributes to processes like heating and melting that lead to the formation of inertially-confined, high-pressure plasma and vapors. Vibrations propagating into the sample generated by the pressure and inherent recoil reaction of induced stress waves (e.g., shock waves) together with the supersonic expansion of the front edge of the plasma into the ambient gas allow the back-and-forth vibration of close atmospheric particles resulting in sound. Precedents on laser-generated acoustic transients are not numerous in literature specially when compared to other laser-produced phenomena. However, its promising uses make it an interesting area to explore. This chapter reviews the combined use of optical emission and the sound waves generated by laser-induced plasma formation to support the identification of the sample. The first section of the chapter deals with the fundamentals of laser-induced acoustic signals. The next section is devoted to the discussion of how the experimental variables affect acoustics as a source of sample information. A discussion on the synergy of combined optical and acoustic spectroscopies through data fusion strategies toward analytical specificity follows. Finally, the conclusions outline the most relevant achievements so far and future needs focusing mainly on the use of laser-induced acoustics for the in-situ laser-based geochemistry exploration of solar system planets, one of its most interesting applications.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by projects UMA18-FEDERJA-272 from the Junta de Andalucía, Spain and PID2020-119185GB-I00 from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain. P.P. is grateful to the European Union’s NextGenerationEU plan and the Spanish Ministerio de Universidades for his Margarita Salas fellowship under the program “Ayudas para la recualificación del Sistema Universitario español.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMA LaserLab, Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain

    Pablo Purohit, César Alvarez-Llamas, Javier Moros & J. Javier Laserna

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  1. Pablo Purohit
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  2. César Alvarez-Llamas
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  3. Javier Moros
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  4. J. Javier Laserna
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Correspondence to J. Javier Laserna .

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  1. Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

    Gábor Galbács

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Purohit, P., Alvarez-Llamas, C., Moros, J., Laserna, J.J. (2022). Materials Characterization by Laser-Induced Plasma Acoustics and Spectroscopy. In: Galbács, G. (eds) Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy in Biological, Forensic and Materials Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14502-5_11

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