Issues in deep ocean collinear double-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy: Dependence of emission intensity and inter-pulse delay on solution pressure

Double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (DP-LIBS) with a collinear laser beam orientation is shown for high-pressure bulk aqueous solutions (up to 50 bar) along with bubble and plasma images. These investigations reveal that the emission plasma is quenched much more rapidly in solution requiring much shorter detector gate delays than for typical LIBS measurements in air. Also, the emission is inversely proportional to solution pressure, and the most intense emission at all pressures occurs when the laser-induced vapor bubble is at a maximum diameter. It is also shown that the laser-induced bubble grows initially at the same rate for all solution pressures, collapsing more quickly as the pressure is increased. Intense emission is best obtained for conditions where the laser-induced bubble formed by the first laser pulse is small and spherically shaped.