INESC TEC organised international symposium on laser applications

Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy. This was the theme of the biennial symposium EMSLIBS, organised by INESC TEC; the 2023 edition took place between September 4 and 7, with more than 200 participants.

Organised by INESC TEC’s Centre for Applied Photonics (CAP), this was the 12^th edition of EMSLIBS – Euro-Mediterranean Symposium on Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) – and a return to an in-person format. The headquarters of the Order of Certified Accountants (Porto) was small to welcome researchers, teachers, students, and entrepreneurs, who had the opportunity to share ideas and knowledge – not only about laser ablation, but also about interdisciplinary applications.

This year’s edition stood out for the novelties, with some presentations focused on the work that has been developed in promising areas of application: nuclear energy, space exploration, agriculture and environment, mining, or even medical applications and analysis of works of art.

The CAP team was challenged to organise this event in the 2021 edition. According to Pedro Jorge, CAP researcher, the challenge was accepted “because we knew that we could rely on INESC TEC’s support, the dedication of the CAP team – particularly, the students – and the scientific advances in this area”. In the words of the person responsible for the organisation, “the event exceeded the expectations of everyone involved, and undoubtedly put INESC TEC on the international map of LIBS”.

The event’s agenda, organised as a single plenary session, included poster presentation sessions and a technical exhibition. The 2023 edition featured more than 60 scientific presentations on the subject and 82 posters (from 34 countries); it featured leading experts in the field of LIBS, with a diversity of contributions from both industry and fundamental science. The event included a technical exhibition with 12 industrial partners, who were able to disseminate the work that companies develop in the area, and the impact on the industry in general.

The next edition will take place in Paris, in 2025.

The INESC TEC researchers mentioned in this news piece are associated with UP-FCUP.