This research is in the general area of analytical and surface chemistry and in the subfield of atomic spectroscopy. The goal of this research is to elucidate the processes which lead to emission of light from inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs). The fundamental hypothesis of this research is that the ICP is a dynamic system which appears to be kinetically controlled. This research is designed to study the time-dependent processes of ICP including ionization, recombination, and excitation. This will be accomplished by modulating the power delivered to the plasma. Such an approach will allow studies of the spatial and temporal response of excited and ionic species in the plasma. This research is designed to better understand the processes which lead to emission of light in special high temperature sources called plasmas. The overall goal is to provide better elemental analysis using this special source.
