The Combustion Diagnostics and  Environmental Measurements Laboratory

	Interactions of LIBS Plasmas with Aerosol Particles LIBS has been used by several research groups, including ours, to detect aerosol particles in the effluent of thermal and industrial process streams.  The results consistently show an uncertainty that is in large part attributable to the stochastic nature of the aerosol / plasma interaction.  This project aims to delve more deeply into the details of the atomization, excitation, and emission processes in the LIBS plasma.  In addition, we are focusing attention on the details of the LIBS plasma, including the expansion and shock waves, energy desposition, and underlying physical processes.   This project has been funded by the National Science Foundation as part of a Early CAREER Development Award (2001).		What is LIBS? In LIBS, a pulsed laser creates a microplasma that can be between 10,000 - 15,000 K.  The plasma vaporizes particles and fragments molecules into atoms, thermally exciting electrons into excited states.  As the plasma cools, the electrons relax, yielding familiar atomic emissions lines that can be used to quantify elemental mass concentrations. (click here for intro slides) Recent publications / papers: B.T. Fisher, H.A. Johnsen, S.G. Buckley, D.W. Hahn, “Temporal Gating for the Optimization of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Detection and Analysis of Toxic Metals,” Applied Spectroscopy, 55 (10) pp 1312-1319 (2001). S.G. Buckley, “Recent Advances in Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Toxic Metal Emission Measurements,” accepted, Environmental Engineering Science. Recent Results: (More soon, in advance of the LIBS 2004 conference in Spain, Sept. 27 - Oct 2!)