Extraterrestrial material collected during space missions is highly exposed to contamination issues during on-Earth analysis. Although high-protection-level protocols were developed, to minimize the contamination due to sample manipulation and the substrate contribution an optimal strategy is to perform in situ analysis with contactless techniques. Optical and acoustic trapping represent ideal candidates for contactless manipulation and analysis of nanometer-to-millimeter-sized particles. Here, we show results of the manipulation of cometary analogs and micrometeorite samples using a single-axis acoustic levitator. The investigation of the particle dynamics in the trap allows the calculation of the trap spring constants that are found in the mN/m range. In addition, we collect the Raman spectra of two levitated fragments of Saratov meteorite, demonstrating that acoustic levitation can be effectively used for the contactless and low-contamination characterization of samples of interest in astrophysics.

Contactless Manipulation and Raman Analysis of Cometary Analogs and Micrometeorites by Acoustic Levitation

Marrara, S.
Secondo
;
Bronte Ciriza, D.;Rotundi, A.;Saija, R.;Mandanici, A.
;
2024-01-01

Abstract

Extraterrestrial material collected during space missions is highly exposed to contamination issues during on-Earth analysis. Although high-protection-level protocols were developed, to minimize the contamination due to sample manipulation and the substrate contribution an optimal strategy is to perform in situ analysis with contactless techniques. Optical and acoustic trapping represent ideal candidates for contactless manipulation and analysis of nanometer-to-millimeter-sized particles. Here, we show results of the manipulation of cometary analogs and micrometeorite samples using a single-axis acoustic levitator. The investigation of the particle dynamics in the trap allows the calculation of the trap spring constants that are found in the mN/m range. In addition, we collect the Raman spectra of two levitated fragments of Saratov meteorite, demonstrating that acoustic levitation can be effectively used for the contactless and low-contamination characterization of samples of interest in astrophysics.
2024
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Ferretti_2024_ApJ_974_287.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Versione Editoriale (PDF)
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 1.5 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.5 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11570/3316710
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 0
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 0
social impact