Element recognition of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy by comparing vectors of peak quantities

Element recognition of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can be achieved by analyzing the corresponding peaks of plasma emissions. However, it is still challenging to make quick judgments due to database disagreements, such as wavelength or line-ratio. This study presents a simple method to conduct element recognition based on comparing vectors established by the quantities of spectral peaks, which allows an accurate recognition of the principle elements regardless of wavelength shifts. By examining deep-sea samples, this method demonstrates the recognition effectiveness for rare earth elements (REEs) with an accuracy over 80%. The developed method proves to be practical in LIBS qualitative analysis, and it can serve as an effective complement to existing approaches for element identification.