Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in combination with a
conventional mine prodder is applied for remote detection of explosives
and mine housing materials. High power subnanosecond laser pulses (pulse
power Ep = 0.6 mJ and pulse duration
Δt = 650 ps) at 1064 nm with a typical repetition rate of 10
kHz are generated by using a passively Q-switched
Cr4+:Nd3+:YAG microchip-laser as seed-laser for an
Yb-fiber amplifier. In the present investigation, the ratios of
“late” and “early” LIBS intensities for the
cyanide (CN) plasma emission at 388 nm and for the C-emission at 248 nm
are used for data analysis. This allows the classification of different
explosives and mine casing materials under real time conditions and also
similar applications to materials processing.