LIBSis a versatile technique that provides nearly instant elemental analysis of materials, both in the laboratory and in the field. This is done by focusing a short laser pulse on the surface of the sample, or object, studied and analyzing the resulting spectrum from the laser-induced plasma.

LIBS has been employed in the analysis of archaeological and historical objects, monuments and artifacts for assessing the qualitative, semiquantitative and quantitative elemental content of materials such as pigments, pottery, glass, stone, metals, minerals and fossils.

The fundamental principle underlying LIBS stems from the brief interaction –just a few nanoseconds – between a focused laser pulse and a target object. This concentration of light both in space and time initiates a process (known as ‘laser ablation’) that triggers the rapid formation of a microplasma plume just above the sample surface. Following the laser pulse, this microplasma emits radiation that arises from the relaxation of its constituents (electrons, excited atoms and ions). Recording this emission with a spectrometer produces a typical LIBS spectrum with emission peaks at characteristic wavelengths, reflecting the elemental composition of the sample.