Laser spectroscopy system

A Townsend Effect Plasma Spectroscopy system, comprising:

• a first laser having a pulsed beam;
• a carbon dioxide laser having a pulsed beam, the pulsed beam of the carbon dioxide laser having a peak energy, a wavelength, a pulse width at half maximum, and a spot diameter at the target;
• at least one telescopic focusing optics for focusing of the pulsed beam of the first laser, wherein the pulsed beam of the first laser is optically coupled to the at least one telescopic optics, such that the beam of the first laser induces a plasma, when the pulsed beam of the first laser is triggered, and the carbon dioxide laser is optically aligned and the pulsed beam of the carbon dioxide laser has the peak energy, the wavelength, the pulse width at half maximum, and the spot diameter selected such that the pulsed beam of the carbon dioxide laser stimulates amplified emissions from the plasma generated by the beam of the first laser;
• a spectroscope for detecting the amplified emissions;
• and
• a time-delay controller for triggering the emission of the pulsed beam of the first laser and controlling the emission of the pulsed beam of the carbon dioxide laser, wherein a delay between triggering of the pulsed beam of the first laser and the emission of the pulsed beam of the second laser is no greater than three microseconds, and the time-delay controller activates the spectroscope such that the amplified emissions are detected by spectroscope, and
• the pulsed beam of the carbon dioxide laser has the peak energy, the wavelength, the pulse width at half maximum, the wavelength and the spot diameter selected such that the peak intensity of a plurality of peaks in the amplified emissions spectra that are detected by the spectroscope are at least ten times the intensity of the same peaks if the plasma induced by the first laser is not amplified by the carbon dioxide laser.

A laser spectroscopy system, comprising:

• a telescope;
• a first laser having annularly aligned laser output annularly aligned along the axis of the telescope, when the annularly aligned laser output of the first laser is emitted;
• a second laser having an axial laser output aligned along the axis of the telescope, when the axial aligned laser output of the second laser is emitted;
• a delay generator or delay controller capable of coupling the timing of emissions of the annularly aligner laser output of the first laser and the axial aligned laser output of the second laser during controlled emission of the first laser and the second laser;
• a beam director comprising optical elements for coupling the focus of the annularly aligned laser output of the first laser and the axial aligned laser output of the second laser and a common output port for both the annularly aligned laser output of the first laser and the axial aligned laser output of the second laser;
• a mounting system capable of aiming the beam director;
• wherein the first laser or the second laser has a power density capable of initiating a spark plasma and both the first laser and the second laser have an operationally eye safe wavelength, power and beam divergence during use in a field environment;
• at least one spectroscope for detecting emissions generated by the first laser, the second laser or a combination of the first laser and the second laser;
• wherein emission of a laser output of the first laser and emission of a laser output of the second laser are delayed by the delay generator or the delay controller such that the delay between the emission of the laser output from the first laser and the emission of the laser output from the second laser is no greater than twelve microseconds;
• wherein the at least one spectroscope includes a plurality of spectroscopes, including a laser induced plasma spectroscope for detecting amplified emissions and a RAMAN spectroscope such that a spectra of the RAMAN spectroscope, a spectra of the laser induced plasma spectroscope or both thereof are comparable to known signatures of spectra of compounds by the laser spectroscopy system.