Stoichiometry of chemical elements using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) with femtosecond pulses.

• Grant number: 24/12558-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Cleber Renato Mendonça
• Grantee: João Marcos Rigon Araujo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/11283-7 - Nonlinear photonics: spectroscopy and advanced processing of materials, AP.TEM

Abstract

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a powerful analytical technique that can be used for the detection and characterization of materials. In LIBS, a focused laser beam generates extremely intense local electric fields and very high light intensities, resulting in the ionization of present chemical elements and the breaking of molecules, forming a plasma containing ionized elements and free electrons. The characteristics of the plasma, such as electron density and temperature, vary significantly depending on the laser used. This is the context in which the present project fits: determining the electron density and plasma temperature using the hypothesis of local thermodynamic equilibrium, not only to perform the conventional qualitative analysis of experimental spectra but also to conduct a quantitative analysis, extracting information about the relative amount of elements present in the sample, i.e., a stoichiometry of the chemical elements that make up the sample.