The sixth Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy conference began Monday and is being hosted by Mississippi State University.
It is an international event focusing on a new laser technology that can identify the composition of objects. It is a week’s worth of panels and sessions.
Jagdish Singh, Research Professor at Mississippi State University’s Institute for Clean Energy Technology, said LIBS is a process where a high-powered laser is focused on an object until the surface becomes heated plasma giving off light. This light is then analyzed in real time, allowing the instrument to instantly identify the objects elemental composition.
“We can focus the laser on any surface, and it creates a plasma that gives off light. The light tells us the elemental composition of the object,” Singh said. “Focus on a wall, we know what the wall is made of. Focus on molten metal, we can know instantly [its] impurities. Focus on emissions from coal factories, we know in real time if there are any toxins in the air.”
The LIBS community of about 200 scientists, doctors and researchers from 15 countries will meet along with representatives from private companies and the military in Memphis to discuss the future of the process and its various application.
Singh said LIBS is versatile and has an array of applications.
“Just one [application for LIBS] is for use by the defense industry. LIBS is already being used on military bases to detect explosives. It is also used some in the steel industry, to identify quality without actually having to come in contact with the molten material,” Singh said.
MSU claims two LIBS patents: one for a process to detect cancer and another commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency to detect emissions.
“This is a really exciting field. I think it is a real honor for the university. This is only the second time the conference has been held in the United States,” Singh said.
Krishna Ayyalasomayajula, a graduate student working in LIBS research, said research into the field is an exciting choice for his thesis work.
“I’m working on [using LIBS] in soil samples, measuring the carbon. This could be used in farming or forensics,” Ayyalasomayajula said.
The LIBS has been refined to a point where it is possible to make a small, portable hand-held device that could be used in the field. Experts in areas as diverse as history, anthropology and forensics pathology — along with the scientists — will be attending the conference.
Other conferences have been held in Pisa, Berlin, Montreal and Spain.