Effects of pressure on the optical emissions observed from solids immersed in water using a single pulse laser

The effects of pressure on the optical emissions of a laser ablated zinc plate immersed in water have been investigated. Well defined emission spectra were observed from plumes generated directly underwater after excitation using a single laser pulse of duration <10 ns. It was demonstrated that an increase in water pressure from 0.1 to 30 MPa (300 atm) does not have any significant effect on the intensity, broadness, or fluorescence lifetime of the observed spectra. The results suggest that laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is, in principle, a technique suitable for in situ elemental analysis of deep sea minerals