A compact Fourier transform spectrometer with no moving parts for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

We report the development of a portable single-shot Fourier transform spectrometer for application in laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) with a particular emphasis on remote or standoff LIBS. The device, based on a design by Harvey and Padgett[1], has a number of inherent features that give it performance advantages over a portable grating spectrometer, in particular a gain in signal to noise ratio (SNR). Tests with low-pressure discharge lamps show a gain in SNR of at least five times that of a traditional portable grating spectrometer in stand-off mode. In addition, the instrument has also demonstrated the ability to measure the spectrum from a short or ultrashort pulsed source in a single shot, e.g. a laser produced plasma.