Study of temporal evolution of electron density and temperature for atmospheric plasma generated from fluid samples using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), is an atomic emission based analytical technique, where laser induced plasma is analyzed after appropriate time delay allowed for plasma cooling. The selectivity and the sensitivity of the system immensely depend on the plasma parameters and hence understanding the formation and evolution of the laser induced plasma is very vital in the optimization of LIBS detection systems. In this study, laser induced plasma was generated using a laser beam of 266 nm wavelength and spectral analysis was carried out using Spectrograph ICCD system with appropriate time delay. The temporal response of the plasma existing in local thermodynamic equilibrium was investigated with respect to the important plasma parameters (temperature and electron density) computed from the LIBS spectra.