During solid sample analysis, its surface is irradiated by a high
energy laser pulse, immediately giving rise to material ablation.
The sample ablated generates a high-temperature plasma plume.
As a result of the temperature, the ablated material breaks down
into excited ionic and atomic species (Giakoumaki, Melessanaki, &
Anglos, 2007). The excited species usually return to their fundamental
states, emitting characteristic radiation, consequently the
qualitative analysis of the emission spectrum provides the sample’s
‘‘fingerprint” regarding its elemental composition (Pasquini
et al., 2007).