REVIEW OF SELECTED ANALYTICAL APPLICATIONS OF LASER PLASMAS AND LASER-ABLATION, 1987-1994

Laser-induced plasmas are widely used as ablation sources and as generators of emission spectra for analytical and diagnostic purposes. We review the literature from 1987 to 1994 dealing with characterization of the techniques, the effect of electric and magnetic fields, the application to gas ignition, and new techniques and applications. The review is confined to plasmas initiated by lasers with per pulse energies less than 1 J, typically 10-100 mJ. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.