Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy ‎(‎LIBS‎)‎ is basically an emission spectroscopy technique where atoms and ions are primarily formed in their excited states as a result of interaction between a tightly focused laser beam and the material sample‎.‎ The interaction between matter and high‎-density photons generates a plasma plume‎,‎ which evolves with time and may eventually acquire thermodynamic equilibrium‎.‎ One of the important features of this technique is that it does not require any sample preparation‎,‎ unlike conventional spectroscopic analytical techniques‎.‎ Samples in the form of solids‎,‎ liquids‎,‎ gels‎,‎ gases‎,‎ plasmas and biological materials ‎(‎like teeth‎,‎ leaf or blood‎)‎ can be studied with almost equal ease‎.‎LIBS has rapidly developed into a major analytical technology with the capability of detecting all chemical elements in a sample‎,‎ of real‎- time response‎,‎ and of close‎-contact or stand‎-off analysis of targets‎.‎ The present book has been written by active specialists in this field‎,‎ it includes the basic principles‎,‎ the latest developments in instrumentation and the applications of LIBS‎.‎ It will be useful to analytical chemists and spectroscopists as an important source of information and also to graduate students and researchers engaged in the fields of combustion‎,‎ environmental science‎,‎ and planetary and space exploration‎.‎ It features‎:‎ recent research work‎,‎ possible future applications and LIBS Principles‎.‎