Emission spectra in the visible spectral range generated by a Nd:YAG laser shining on graphite targets were taken with timeaveraging and time resolution. The analyses of the components and temperature of the plasma components were performed in helium environment using the LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) technique. The vibration-rotation temperature of the C 2 radical in the plasma initiates around 8000 K and drops exponentially with time. The rate coefficient of the exponential

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... ion decay is 0.0018 ns −1 . Thus, the expected lifetime of the C 2 Swan emission under our experimental conditions is 555 ns. In addition to C 2 , singly and doubly ionized carbon, and in the first phase of the plasma, a continuum electron radiation was also observed.