Limits of Detection of Na, Ca, Ba, and Al in Water Aerosol by Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Using Mobile Platforms for Atmospheric Monitoring Tasks

The detection limits for a series of elements (Na, Ca, Ba, and Al) in a water aerosol were determined to be tens of micrograms per cubic meter for Al, and in the range of single micrograms per cubic meter for Na, Ca, and Ba. The possibility of using the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy method as part of compact mobile systems for monitoring atmospheric aerosol is demonstrated. The dependence of the detection limits of the specified elements on the energy of exciting laser pulse, as well as on the numerical aperture of a beam is investigated. The existence of optimal focusing conditions is shown.