Nanosecond and femtosecond polarization resolved laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (PRLIBS) of aluminum

We report single-shot femtosecond and nanosecond polarization resolved laser-induce breakdown spectroscopy (PRLIBS) measurement results on aluminum. Compared with conventional LIBS, this technique can increase the signal to background ratio (SBR) even with non-gated time-integrated detection. The resolution and detection limit of PRLIBS is highly improved, making this technique especially useful for weak atomic and ionic transitions.