Multi-element analysis technique for in-situ planetary exploration by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Abstract

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a very useful elemental analysis tool in planetary exploration. In this study we conduct LIBS measurements under low pressure (1×10−3 mbar) to investigate the feasibility of LIBS measurement under vacuum conditions. Although the optical emission intensity decreases remarkably under low ambient pressure, our preliminary experimental results indicate that the precision of elemental abundance measurements does not decrease drastically even under 1×10−3 mbar. This paper suggests that LIBS can be used at the surface of airless bodies, such as the Moon and asteroids and also can be utilized for quantitative analysis of elemental abundance of minerals under lunar surface environment.