Research

Researchers from New Mexico State University are replacing magnifying glasses, fingernails and diluted hydrochloric acid - the rock identification tools of field geologists - with Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), a technique that holds great potential for the science of geology and much more.

The LIBS laser focuses a pulse of light on the material, causing atoms to lift off the surface and ignite into a plasma at a temperature of 15,000K (compared to the Sun's meager 6,000K). As the plasma cools, electrons relax back into their low-energy levels and emit photons of light. An optic fiber cable catches the light produced and feeds the information into a spectrometer that delivers the results in a combination of wavelength versus intensity on a computer.

There is virtually no preparation and results are instantaneous. The benefits of using LIBS to identify materials have been well known, but now it is portable and requires only an electric generator to operate in the field. It is hoped that by 2009 a backpack model will be available, according to science journals.