Dual Pump Femtosecond Laser Induced Plasma

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can provide a noncontact way of inspecting a specimen including distinct signature of atomic composition of the sample. Ultra-short pulse laser enables characterization of any materials by utilizing the multiphoton process, which is a dominant carrier generation mechanism for dielectric materials. Additionally, femtosecond LIBS yields low background and better defined atomic lines than the nanosecond LIBS. We have performed a time-resolved emission intensity measurement for an iron oxide (Fe3O4, magnetite). The emission intensity has the peak value at 100 ps time delay, signifying that the succeeding pump beam is interacting with the plasma generated in the vicinity of the sample by the preceding beam. The dual pulses significantly enhance the atomic emission as compared to single pulse excitation and enables ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopy.Copyright © 2008 by ASME