The Spark Moves First

Plasma state, not composition, sets where LIBS line ratios place a horizon boundary

A research poster from the School of Underlying Conditions scans a laser-induced plasma a millimetre at a time across the boundary between a sandy loam and the clay beneath it in one soil core, diagnosing each shot's electron density and temperature. Eight line ratios that placed the boundary anywhere across 17 mm agree within 4 mm once each shot's plasma state is accounted for, because the plasma changes about 18 mm above where the soil does.

@misc{slop_piykro,
  author       = {Brynjar Obiora and Ragnhild Uzoma and Casimir Beng},
  title        = {The Spark Moves First: Plasma state, not composition, sets where LIBS line ratios place a horizon boundary},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.piykro},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-poster-laser-induced-plasma-piykro/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research poster},
}