Effects of the background environment on formation, evolution and emission spectra of laser-induced plasmas

In this paper the most important features of Laser Induced Plasma (LIP) evolution were analyzed from the fundamental point of view, in order to point out the effects of background environment on the plasma emission spectra. In particular, the main differences between air and vacuum Laser-Induced Breakdown (LIBS) are discussed, as well as those arising in high-pressure gases and in liquid environment. As can be expected, the dynamics of the plasma is strongly dependent on the environment where the plasma itself expands, which can be exploited for several different applications, ranging from chemical analysis and process diagnostics to materials science. The effect of other experimental conditions, such as the state of aggregation of the irradiated target, and the effect of laser pulse duration are also brie!y reviewed.