Shock wave confinement-induced plume temperature increase in laser- induced breakdown spectroscopy

C Li and JM Wang and XW Wang, PHYSICS LETTERS A, 378, 3319-3325 (2014).

DOI: 10.1016/j.physleta.2014.06.049

Spatial confinement is found effective in improving the sensitivity of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). This work reports on the physics of shock wave spatial confinement via atomistic modeling. Reflection-induced atomic collision/friction near the wall reduces the shock wave velocity close to zero and remarkably increases the local temperature (similar to 218 K) and pressure. As a result, the reflected ambient gas expands quickly toward the plume and compresses it. The temperature of the plume goes up significantly in the compression process: from 89 to 132 K. The lifetime of the plume is also boosted dramatically, from 480 ps to similar to 1800 ps. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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