U.S. researchers develop compact spectrometer for planetary exploration

According to news from Hampton, Virginia, USA on December 21st, a compact spectroscopy instrument for planetary exploration has been developed. The system is known as the Positioning Ultra Small Subminiature Raman (SUCR) instrument and is capable of detecting and characterizing minerals, organics, and biological materials within a few centimeters (2-20 cm) at 10 micron resolution. The active remote sensing system consists of a 532 nm laser and a miniature spectrometer.

Photo courtesy of M. Nurul Abedin of the NASA Langley Research Center.
The SUCR instrument is compact in structure and much faster than other miniature Raman instruments. It used the direct coupled Raman system developed previously at the University of Hawaii to perform remote chemical detection of samples up to 100 meters away from the instrument in daylight (Spectrochim Acta A 2005 ). The University of Hawaii's compact instrument connects all optical components directly to the spectrometer. Compared to fiber-coupled Raman systems, the performance of the system is significantly improved due to less signal loss.
To develop the SUCR instrument, researchers at the NASA Langley Research Center and the University of Hawaii revised the acquisition optics of the previously developed system to acquire a spectrum of samples closer to the instrument. The researchers also reduced the system footprint by using a miniature spectrometer measuring 16.5 cm in length, 11.4 cm in width, and 12.7 cm in height.
Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center and the University of Hawaii have developed a new miniature Raman spectroscopy instrument that can search for life on other planets. The picture shows a photograph of Derek Davis, a student from Old Dominion University who was studying the instrument. Provided by M. Nurul Abedin of the NASA Langley Research Center.
NASA Researcher M. Nurul Abedin said: “We must ensure that the instrument is very small and light so that it can carry a small, fuel-saving spacecraft for a nine-month Mars journey or a six-year European trip. It must also work with other instruments that are mounted on a rover or lander, and it is not subject to the harsh radiation conditions on other planets."
Under indoor lighting conditions, researchers used SUCR to analyze minerals and organic compounds that may be associated with the lives of other planets, including sulfur, naphthalene, mixed samples, marble, water, calcite minerals, and amino acids.
The researchers successfully measured the Raman spectra of a sample 10 cm away from the instrument by passing a compact pulsed laser through a cylindrical lens with a focal length of 100 mm. The analyzed area was 17.3 μm by 5 mm. With a 60 mm focal length cylindrical lens, 10-micron resolution is achieved at a distance of 6 cm.
Abedin said: “We are now trying to expand the analysis area by scanning. Due to the high speed of the system, we think it is possible to create a Raman spectrum of a 5 x 5 mm area within one minute. If using a traditional miniature Raman system It will take a few days to do this."
The research team reported that some improvements have been made in the new instrument compared to the previous Miniature Raman Spectrometer instrument. Samples need to be collected prior to analysis and measurement in order to proceed in the dark. Traditional micro Raman instruments are also susceptible to interference from natural mineral fluorescence.
Abedin said: "The limitation of the existing system is that the number of samples and information obtained from the mission of Mars will be significantly reduced. We have carefully designed the optical system of our system to perform rapid analysis under daylight conditions and generate high intensity. The Raman signal is not as susceptible to interference as the traditional system."
Abedin said the SUCR system could be used in biomedical, food analysis, and other applications that could benefit from rapid chemical analysis without sending samples to the lab.
Next, the researchers plan to test the SUCR instrument in an environment that simulates the discovery of Mars and other planets. Then they will begin the verification process to prove that the device can operate accurately under the currently discovered space conditions.
The study was published in Applied Optics, an OSA publication, published by the Optical Society (doi:10.1364/AO.57.000062).
(Original Title: Spectral Instruments Used to Assist in Finding Extraterrestrial Life)

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September 09, 2023