Investigation of LE-LIBS feasibility for detection of H, He, and O in high vacuum using geological samples

This work reports the investigation of low-energy, eye-safe laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LE-LIBS) feasibility for <i>in situ</i> detection of gaseous elements significant to the planetary surface chemistry. A ns-pulsed laser emitting pulses of energy of 3 mJ at 1.54 μm wavelength is used to ablate soil pellet samples. Plasma emission spectra are acquired in the spectral window of 220-800 nm employing a concave flat-field spectrograph. Results presented here for the detection of three crucial elements, namely, hydrogen, helium, and oxygen, have demonstrated the applicability of the LE-LIBS approach in a vacuum environment, suiting the planetary surface exploration.