Emission signal enhancement and plasma diagnostics using collinear double pulse for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of aluminum alloys

¹ Key laboratory of atomic and molecular physics and functional materials of Gansu Province, College of physics and Electronic engineering, NWNU, Lanzhou, 730070, P.R. China
² Joint Laboratory of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Northwest Normal University and Institute of Modern Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, P.R. China

^a e-mail: dongcz@nwnu.edu.cn

Received: 17 October 2012
Revised: 13 January 2013
Accepted: 16 January 2013
Published online: 8 March 2013

Abstract

A time and spatially resolved technique was used for the investigation of emission signal enhancement in collinear double-pulse LIBS. Two Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers at 1064 nm wavelength have been employed to produce laser-induced plasmas on aluminum-based alloys by single- (SP) and doublepulse (DP) LIBS. Time and spatial evolution of the plasma temperature and electron number density was investigated in these two experimental schemes. The enhancement of the emission line intensities was investigated, and a relation between the increases in intensity and excitation energy level was established. The results shows that the production of the second plasma by second laser pulse was important in DP experiment in collinear geometry.