Regular Article

Spatial characterization of red and white skin potatoes using nano-second laser induced breakdown in air

¹ Department of Applied Physics, FUUAST, 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan
² Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, 45550 Islamabad, Pakistan
³ Department of Chemistry, Govt. College Women University, 38000 Faisalabad, Pakistan
⁴ Department of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, 45320 Islamabad, Pakistan

^a e-mail: riazkhan4@gmail.com

Received: 21 August 2015
Revised: 14 November 2015
Accepted: 23 November 2015
Published online: 13 January 2016

Abstract

We presents spectroscopic study of the plasma generated by a Q-switched Nd:YAG (1064 nm) laser irradiation of the flesh of red and white skin potatoes. From the spectra recorded with spectrometer (LIBS2500+, Ocean Optics, USA) 11 elements were identified in red skin potato, whereas, the white skin potato was found to have nine elements. Their relative concentrations were estimated using CF-LIBS method for the plasma in local thermodynamic equilibrium. The target was placed in ambient air at atmospheric pressure. The electron temperature and number density were calculated from Boltzmann plot and stark broadened line profile methods, respectively using Fe I spectral lines. The spatial distribution of plasma parameters were also studied which show a decreasing trend of 6770 K–4266 K and (3–2.0) × 10¹⁶ cm^-3. Concentrations of the detected elements were monitored as a function of depth of the potatoes. Our study reveals a decreasing tendency in concentration of iron from top to the centre of potato’s flesh, whereas, the concentrations of other elements vary randomly.