arXiv · 2607.04229
Enhanced LIBS Emission Using Laser Beam Splitting: Interacting Multi-Plume Plasma Dynamics
Abstract
The optical emission in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is governed by the spatial intensity distribution of the incident laser beam, which influences plasma formation and evolution. Beam shaping therefore offers a route to control plasma dynamics and emission yield; however, its effects in LIBS remain insufficiently quantified, particularly under conditions relevant to compact instrumentation. In this work, a diffractive optical element (DOE) is used to transform a Gaussian beam into a 2x2 array, producing simultaneously expanding, co-propagating ablation plumes that interact during expansion. Plasma evolution from Cu and Si targets is investigated in vacuum using a Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 5 ns, 10 J/cm2), combining time-resolved imaging with optical emission spectroscopy. The multi-spot configuration results in enhanced emission intensity compared to single-spot irradiation, with increases of ~9 for Si and ~3 for Cu. The observed enhancement is attributed to plume-plume interaction effects that modify plasma density and emission characteristics. These results demonstrate that DOE-based beam shaping provides an effective and technically simple approach to increasing the LIBS signal without additional system complexity.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Girum Abebe Beyene, Inam Mirza, Jijil JJ Nivas, Oleksandr Gatsa, Nadezhda M. Bulgakova, Alexander V. Bulgakov. 2026-07-05. Enhanced LIBS Emission Using Laser Beam Splitting: Interacting Multi-Plume Plasma Dynamics. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.04229
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.