Patent ID: 7688443

Claim:
A system for analyzing a sample, comprising: a laser unit configured to emit a first laser pulse and a second laser pulse towards the sample with a pulse separation time of between about 1 microseconds and about 20 microseconds, wherein the laser unit includes, an oscillator unit configured to generate the first laser pulse and the second laser pulse, a pre-amplifier unit configured to receive the first laser pulse and the second laser pulse from the oscillator unit and increase energy levels of each pulse to a first energy state, the pre-amplifier unit increasing the energy profile of each pulse by a factor of between about 2 to about 100, and an amplifier unit configured to receive the first laser pulse and the second laser pulse from the pre-amplifier unit and further increase the energy levels of each pulse to a second energy state prior to the first laser pulse and the second laser pulse being emitted from the laser unit; and a spectrometer unit configured to capture emissions generated by the sample after the sample is struck by the first laser pulse and the second laser pulse, wherein the spectrometer unit is further configured to identify the elemental constituents of the sample using the emissions.