Identification and classification of meteorites using a handheld LIBS instrument coupled with a fuzzy logic-based method

Abstract

A handheld laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument is proposed as a novel tool that is able to provide information on the nature of meteorites and discriminate among iron, stone, stony-iron meteorites and meteor-wrongs. Further, a novel fuzzy logic-based inference algorithm is applied to broadband LIBS spectra for the identification of meteorites and their classification according to their origin and nature. The identification of meteorites is a decision-making problem based on a compromise among human experience, visual evidence and analytical data, which fuzzy logic is proved to be able to solve. The final model is able to correctly classify 25 out of 26 samples and provides a set of IF-THEN rules that describe how some selected wavelengths are involved in the classification task.