Persistent challenges and frontiers in laser-based chemical analysis - signed, sealed, and delivered?

Full text: The last years have been dedicated to push the spatial resolution capabilities of laser - based analytical methods towards the nanometer range. Progress, not just in the detection part using enhanced spectrometers but also in the laser sampling process itself using lasers with shorter pulse durations, paved the way to reach such limits. Nevertheless, the understanding of fundamental processes at such dimensions has gained more importance in order to explain and to control the various phenomena involved in the ablation and excitation processes. We will talk about current expectations, challenges and limitations, and present selected instrumental approaches to e.g. determine nanometer-sized colloid particles in aqueous systems. (author)