Challenges Analyzing Gypsum on Mars by Raman Spectroscopy

Astrobiology
Craig P Marshall, Alison Olcott Marshall

Abstract

Raman spectroscopy can provide chemical information about organic and inorganic substances quickly and nondestructively with little to no sample preparation, thus making it an ideal instrument for Mars rover missions. The ESA ExoMars planetary mission scheduled for launch in 2018 will contain a miniaturized Raman spectrometer (RLS) as part of the Pasteur payload operating with a continuous wave (CW) laser emitting at 532 nm. In addition, NASA is independently developing two miniaturized Raman spectrometers for the upcoming Mars 2020 rover mission, one of which is a remote (stand-off) Raman spectrometer that uses a pulse-gated 532 nm excitation system (SuperCam). The other is an in situ Raman spectrometer that employs a CW excitation laser emitting at 248.6 nm (SHERLOC). Recently, it has been shown with analyses by Curiosity that Gale Crater contains significantly elevated concentrations of transition metals such as Cr and Mn. Significantly, these transition metals are known to undergo fluorescence emission in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Consequently, samples containing these metals could be problematic for the successful acquisition of fluorescence-free Raman spectra when using a CW 532 nm excitation so...Continue Reading

References

Jun 7, 2003·Science·Philip R ChristensenMichael B Wyatt
Feb 19, 2005·Science·Aline GendrinStéphane LeMouélic
Aug 29, 2007·Astrobiology·Craig P MarshallBrett A Neilan
Oct 18, 2008·Applied Spectroscopy·Rohit BhartiaPamela G Conrad
Jul 17, 2012·Astrobiology·J William SchopfCarola Espinoza
Sep 11, 2013·Astrobiology·Alison Olcott Marshall, Craig P Marshall
Dec 11, 2013·Science·D T VanimanUNKNOWN MSL Science Team
Dec 11, 2013·Science·J P GrotzingerUNKNOWN MSL Science Team
Dec 11, 2013·Science·S M McLennanUNKNOWN MSL Science Team

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
irradiate
Raman scattering
surface-enhanced resonance

Software Mentioned

NuSpec

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