Comparison of the polarisation of line and continuum emission in a laser produced plasma

Anisotropic emission from a laser-produced aluminium plasma emission has been studied using time and polarisation resolved spectroscopy. The time-resolved degree of polarisation of emission from a bound - bound transition in Al+ (466.3 nm) was compared to the time-resolved degree of polarisation from nearby continuum emission. The results are interpreted in the framework of radiative recombination and statistical imbalances in the populations of magnetic sub-states. It is found that the continuum emission is more strongly polarised than the line emission. Thus, this technique is a valid alternative to gated LIBS.