Characteristics of plasma produced from tsunami impacted soil sample using a transversely excited atmospheric pressure-carbon dioxide (TEA-CO2) laser.

In this work, plasma characteristics in terms of temperature and electron density of a plasma of the tsunami impacted soil sample induced by a transversely excited atmospheric carbon dioxide (TEA-CO2) LIBS was studied. Practically, the tsunami impacted soil samples was taken from at the worst affected area by the giant tsunami, Banda Aceh city, Aceh province, Indonesia. The generated plasma has been produced after TEA-CO2 pulses laser was targeted onto sample placed on a sample holder in air surrounding gas. The emission spectral lines emitted from the plasma region collected using system of an optical multichannel analyser (OMA) allowed atomic emission lines could be clearly identified. The temperature of plasma was estimateed through the method of Boltzmann plot, while the plasma electron density has been obtained by method of Saha-Boltzmann using spectral lines of calcium both atomic and ionic spectral lines. As results, the plasma temperature and electron density produced were T = 8691 K and 5,2 × 1015 cm−3, respectively. Generally, the plasma temperature and density electron obtained are fit to the Maxwell distribution criteria kT <50,000 and Mcwhriter's criteria (Ne >1.6×1012 T½ (ΔE)3) for plasma laser in state of local thermal equilibrium LTE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]