Spectrochemical Analysis of Spatially and Temporally Resolved Laser Induced Aluminum Plasma

In the present paper a detailed spectrochemical investigation of the temporal and spatial evolution of the plasma produced by interaction of Q-switched Nd: YAG laser pulses at 532 nm with pure aluminum target is performed via optical emission spectroscopy (OES) in vacuum (10-5 torr). Comparison of the spectra taken at different distances from the target surface facilitates discussing fundamental concepts of the Laser Induced Plasma (LIP). Such measurements have been exploited to understand the main processes involved and must be taken into account for the analysis of this kind of plasma. The LIP mean expansion velocity has been determined by measuring the ionic emission temporal profiles usually referred to as the Time of Flight (TOF) profiles. The temporal behavior of the spectral emission has been explained and interpreted in view of the three body recombination processes. Problems concerning the existence of and departure from the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) in the LIP are studied carefully as observed in the performed experiment.