Transformative Potential of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for the Analysis of Crime Scene Evidences: Application in Forensic Science.

The strengthening and growth of forensic science is vital for a Nation's law enforcement and criminal justice system. Forensic agencies serve the criminal justice system by analyzing crime scene evidence, such as DNA, ballistic, gunshot residue, fingerprints, and questioned documents. With the constraint of minimal quantity of evidence recovered from crime scenes, there is a growing need for nondestructive analysis techniques that can preserve evidence for further testing or legal proceedings. The advent of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in the late twentieth century has revolutionized forensic science by providing a rapid, nondestructive, and highly accurate method for elemental analysis. LIBS provides an in-situ, faster, minimally-destructive method of elemental analysis. Integrating LIBS into the forensic science workflow can significantly improve evidence analysis's speed, accuracy, and efficiency. This article presents a comprehensive review of the transformative potential of LIBS in various forensic applications, emphasizing its advantages over traditional forensic methods. The article details the working principle of LIBS, which involves using a laser to create a plasma that emits light characteristic of the sample's elemental composition. This versatile technique is capable of analyzing various crime scene evidences and thus making it a fascinating tool for forensic scientists.