Emission spectroscopy of ablation plumes in liquid for analytical purposes

Abstract

The emission intensity of Ag(I) lines obtained by the laser ablation of an Ag plate immersed in water was examined. Due to an intense self-absorption in the plume, the spectral intensity of the emission approaches the Planck distribution, which is a function of temperature, but not a function of the population of the levels involved in the transition. The temperature obtained by assuming the Planck intensity agrees well with the previous study on the plume temperature in water. The result that the emission suffers from the intense self-absorption is a disadvantage for the use of emission spectra from the laser ablation plume in liquid as a quantitative elemental analysis of solid surfaces in liquid. © 2007 IOP Publishing Ltd.