Spatial confinement effects of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy at reduced air pressures

Spatial confinement is a simple and cost-effective method for enhancing signal intensity and improving the detection sensitivity of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). However, the spatial confinement effects of LIBS under different pressures remains a question to be studied, because the pressure of the ambient gas has a significant influence on the temporal and spatial evolution of plasma. In this study, spatial confinement effects of LIBS under a series of reduced air pressures were investigated experimentally, and the plasma characteristics under different air pressures were studied. The results show that the reduced air pressure can lead to both earlier onset and weakening of the enhancement effect of the spatial confinement on the LIBS line intensity. When the air pressure drops to 0.1 kPa, the enhancement effect of the emission intensity no longer comes from the compression of the reflected shock wave on the plasma, but from the cavity’s restriction of the plasma expansion space. In conclusion, the enhancement effect of spatial confinement technology on the LIBS is still effective when the pressure is reduced, which further expands the research and application field of spatial confinement technology. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text]