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Belousov A, Miller M, Continetti R, Madzunkov S, Simcic J, Nikolic D, Maiwald F, Waller S, Malaska M, Cable M. Sampling Accelerated Micron Scale Ice Particles with a Quadrupole Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2021; 32:1162-1168. [PMID: 33792296 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.0c00442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Enceladus plume is a target of astrobiological interest in planetary science since it may carry signs of extraterrestrial life entrapped in ice grains formed from the subsurface ocean of this moon of Saturn. Fly-by mission concepts have been proposed to perform close investigations of the plume, including detailed in situ measurements of chemical composition with a new generation of mass spectrometer instrumentation. Such a scenario involves high-velocity collisions (typically around 5 km/s or higher) of the instrument with the encountered ice grains. Postimpact processes may include molecular fragmentation, impact ionization, and various subsequent chemical reactions that could alter the original material prior to analysis. In order to simulate Enceladus plume fly through conditions, we are developing an ice grain accelerator and have coupled it to the quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer (QITMS) developed for flight applications. Our experimental setup enables the creation and acceleration of ice particles with well-defined size, charge, and velocity, which are subsequently directed into the QITMS, where they impact the surface of the mass analyzer and the analysis of postimpact, volatilized molecules takes place. In this work, we performed mass spectral analysis of ice grains of ca. 1.3 μm in diameter, accelerated and impacted at velocities up to 1000 m/s, with an upgrade of the accelerator in progress that will enable velocities up to 5000 m/s. We report the first observations of ice grain impacts measured by the QITMS, which were recorded as brief increases in the abundance of water molecules detected within the instrument.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Belousov
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Morgan Miller
- University of California San Diego, Mail Code 0340, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0340, United States
| | - Robert Continetti
- University of California San Diego, Mail Code 0340, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0340, United States
| | - Stojan Madzunkov
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Jurij Simcic
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Dragan Nikolic
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Frank Maiwald
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Sarah Waller
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Michael Malaska
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
| | - Morgan Cable
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, United States
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Altobelli N, Postberg F, Fiege K, Trieloff M, Kimura H, Sterken VJ, Hsu HW, Hillier J, Khawaja N, Moragas-Klostermeyer G, Blum J, Burton M, Srama R, Kempf S, Gruen E. Flux and composition of interstellar dust at Saturn from Cassini's Cosmic Dust Analyzer. Science 2016; 352:312-8. [PMID: 27081064 DOI: 10.1126/science.aac6397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Interstellar dust (ISD) is the condensed phase of the interstellar medium. In situ data from the Cosmic Dust Analyzer on board the Cassini spacecraft reveal that the Saturnian system is passed by ISD grains from our immediate interstellar neighborhood, the local interstellar cloud. We determine the mass distribution of 36 interstellar grains, their elemental composition, and a lower limit for the ISD flux at Saturn. Mass spectra and grain dynamics suggest the presence of magnesium-rich grains of silicate and oxide composition, partly with iron inclusions. Major rock-forming elements (magnesium, silicon, iron, and calcium) are present in cosmic abundances, with only small grain-to-grain variations, but sulfur and carbon are depleted. The ISD grains in the solar neighborhood appear to be homogenized, likely by repeated processing in the interstellar medium.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Altobelli
- European Space Agency, European Space Astronomy Centre, Madrid, Spain.
| | - F Postberg
- Institut für Geowissenschaften, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - K Fiege
- Institut für Geowissenschaften, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - M Trieloff
- Institut für Geowissenschaften, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Klaus-Tschira-Labor für Kosmochemie, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - H Kimura
- Kobe University, Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan
| | - V J Sterken
- International Space Sciences Institute, Bern, Switzerland
| | - H-W Hsu
- University of Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - N Khawaja
- Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - J Blum
- Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institut für Geophysik und Extraterrestrische Physik, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - M Burton
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - R Srama
- Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - S Kempf
- University of Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - E Gruen
- Institut für Geowissenschaften, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. University of Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
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Wiederschein F, Vöhringer-Martinez E, Beinsen A, Postberg F, Schmidt J, Srama R, Stolz F, Grubmüller H, Abel B. Charge separation and isolation in strong water droplet impacts. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2015; 17:6858-64. [PMID: 25672904 DOI: 10.1039/c4cp05618c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Charge separation in condensed matter after strong impacts is a general and intriguing phenomenon in nature, which is often identified and described but not necessarily well understood in terms of a quantitative mechanistic picture. Here we show that charge separation naturally occurs if water droplets/clusters or ice particles with embedded charge carriers, e.g., ions, encounter a high energy impact with subsequent dispersion - even if the involved kinetic energy is significantly below the molecular ionization energy. We find that for low charge carrier concentrations (c < 0.01 mol L(-1)) a simple statistical Poisson model describes the charge distribution in the resulting molecular "fragments" or aggregates. At higher concentrations Coulomb interactions between the charge carriers become relevant, which we describe by a Monte Carlo approach. Our models are compared to experimental data for strong (laser) impacts on liquid micro beams and discussed for the charge generation in cluster-impact mass spectrometry on cosmic dust detectors where particle kinetic energies are below the plasma threshold. Taken together, a simple and intuitive but quantitative microscopic model is obtained, which may contribute to the understanding of a larger range of phenomena related to charge generation and separation in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Wiederschein
- MPI für biophysikalische Chemie, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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Fielding LA, Hillier JK, Burchell MJ, Armes SP. Space science applications for conducting polymer particles: synthetic mimics for cosmic dust and micrometeorites. Chem Commun (Camb) 2015; 51:16886-99. [DOI: 10.1039/c5cc07405c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The design of conducting polymer-based particles as synthetic mimics for understanding the behaviour of micro-meteorites (a.k.a. cosmic dust) is reviewed and the implications for various space science applications is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jon K. Hillier
- Department of Space Science
- School of Physical Sciences
- University of Kent
- Canterbury
- UK
| | - Mark J. Burchell
- Department of Space Science
- School of Physical Sciences
- University of Kent
- Canterbury
- UK
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O'Brien L, Auer S, Gemer A, Grün E, Horanyi M, Juhasz A, Kempf S, Malaspina D, Mocker A, Moebius E, Srama R, Sternovsky Z. Development of the nano-dust analyzer (NDA) for detection and compositional analysis of nanometer-size dust particles originating in the inner heliosphere. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2014; 85:035113. [PMID: 24689626 DOI: 10.1063/1.4868506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A linear time-of-flight mass spectrometer is developed for the detection and chemical analysis of nanometer-sized particles originating near the Sun. Nano-dust particles are thought to be produced by mutual collisions between interplanetary dust particles slowly spiraling toward the Sun and are accelerated outward to high velocities by interaction with the solar wind plasma. The WAVES instruments on the two STEREO spacecraft reported the detection, strong temporal variation, and potentially high flux of these particles. Here we report on the optimization and the results from the detailed characterization of the instrument's performance using submicrometer sized dust particles accelerated to 8-60 km/s. The Nano Dust Analyzer (NDA) concept is derived from previously developed detectors. It has a 200 cm(2) effective target area and a mass resolution of approximately m/Δm = 50. The NDA instrument is designed to reliably detect and analyze nanometer-sized dust particles while being pointed close to the Sun's direction, from where they are expected to arrive. Measurements by such an instrument will determine the size-dependent flux of the nano-dust particles and its variations, it will characterize the composition of the nano-dust and, ultimately, it may determine their source. The flight version of the NDA instrument is estimated to be <5 kg and requires <10 W for operation.
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Affiliation(s)
- L O'Brien
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - S Auer
- A&M Associates, Bayse, Virginia 22810, USA
| | - A Gemer
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - E Grün
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - M Horanyi
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - A Juhasz
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - S Kempf
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - D Malaspina
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - A Mocker
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
| | - E Moebius
- Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA
| | - R Srama
- Institute of Space Systems, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Z Sternovsky
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA
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