Comparison of the performances of nanosecond and femtosecond Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for depth profiling of an artificially corroded bronze

Single Pulse Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (SP-LIBS), performed by nanosecond and femtosecond laser sources has been applied to the study of the depth profiling of the artificially obtained patina of a bronze sample. The results show improved performances of femtosecond LIBS compared to nanosecond one. The differences found in the analyses are related to the different laser–matter interaction processes induced by the different time duration of the laser pulses.