Date of Award
12-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Department of Engineering Physics
First Advisor
Michael B. Shattan, PhD
Abstract
Field techniques for characterizing low levels of heavy elements of less than 100 parts per million in soils tend to be unreliable because of the relatively weak signal of these elements and the large, variable background inherent to analyzing soils with minimal sample preparation. To enhance the detection and analysis capability of a handheld laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument, this work investigates the effects of a unique magnetic confinement apparatus on signal intensities, focusing on five iron lines as well as those from actinides in 11 soil samples. The proposed magnetic confinement apparatus achieved over 0.8 T but did not amplified the elements' peak intensities of the samples equally.
AFIT Designator
AFIT-ENP-MS-21-D-016
DTIC Accession Number
AD1157171
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Alfred C., "Development of a Magnetic Confinement Attachment for Enhanced Signal in Handheld Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Soil Analysis" (2021). Theses and Dissertations. 5104.
https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/5104