Laser-ablation absorption spectroscopy: Reviewing an uncommon hyphenation

Absorption spectroscopy hyphenations of the laser-induced plasma have been attempted by a handful of groups since the early 1990s. Despite the measurement's relatively long history, there are few reviews and the details of the experiment remain somewhat opaque. Though the early experiments were directed at understanding laser-induced deposition physics, more recent measurements have begun to bend absorption spectroscopy to plasma diagnostics with an eye to analytical chemistry applications of laser ablation. This review discusses the benefits and difficulties of the different experimental approaches in addition to analytical and plasma characterization applications. Because the laser-induced plasma is so different from the usual atomic reservoirs used for atomic absorption spectroscopy, the assumptions of the Beer-Lambert Law are also discussed. Finally, with several groups currently working in the field, I provide an outlook for the future of the measurements.