LIBS for All: A Student-Built Python GUI for Easy Spectral Analysis

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a powerful technique for multi-elemental analysis due to its speed and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional spectroscopic methods. At YREP, a high school research collaboration, we have used LIBS to analyze brownfield soil, mangrove microplastics, historical pennies, and sargassum. Several software systems have already been developed for LIBS data visualization and quantitative analysis. However, these systems are often limited by closed-source designs, high costs, and a lack of flexibility for custom setups. We are developing an open-source Python library with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for streamlined LIBS data analysis and visualization. This provides an intuitive interface for spectral processing, peak identification, and elemental mapping without requiring advanced programming experience. Experimental validation across academic, industrial, and research applications shows that the open, GUI-accessible system performs comparably to commercial software. This framework reduces the barrier to LIBS use by enabling fast, reliable, and user-friendly analysis across diverse research environments. As high school students, we believe that creating an accessible GUI system will increase research opportunities and the potential of use of LIBS in schools, making data analysis more straightforward to use and implement across educational settings and underfunded research institutions.