This thesis describes the plasma generated by the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique and its application to the detection of cadmium and lead in soil samples. It addresses the laser-sample interaction, plasma formation, radiation emission, material ablation, and the local thermodynamic equilibrium model. A protocol is developed to prepare standards in soil samples with known concentrations of cadmium (50-1000 ppm) and lead (1000 -10 000 ppm). The samples, extracted from the gardens of the Physics section at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, are dried, crushed, pulverized, VLHYHG HQULFKHGZLWK&G&Oၷā+ၷ2DQG3E 12ၸ ၷVROXWLRQV DQGSUHVVHGLQWRSHOOHWV The experimental setup includes a pulsed laser, an optical system, a spectrometer, electronic synchronization, and a rotating support that allows each pulse to hit a different area and generate a LIBS spectrum. E...