4. Conclusions

This article focuses on the versatility of the LIBS technique. Recent hardware developments make this diagnostic method relatively easy to size according to performance targets for different applications. By way of example, here are two variations on the LIBS technique described above:

• FEMTOLIBS, a LIBS technique developed using ultrashort pulse lasers (femto second 10 ^–15 s). This version of LIBS has the advantage of not exciting thermal processes (too much), which can cause "damage" to certain fragile samples, and which are also responsible for generating spectrally unsigned noise and therefore spurious noise in the spectra. Current femtosecond laser technologies are still heavy and bulky, limiting practical applications to laboratory systems for the time being.

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