Toward Detecting Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Planetary Objects with ORIGIN
The Planetary Science Journal, vol. 3, pp. 43
Abstract
Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are found on various planetary surfaces in the solar system. They are proposed to play a role in the emergence of life, as molecules that are important for biological processes could be derived from them. In this work, four PAHs (pyrene, perylene, anthracene, and coronene) were measured using the ORganics Information Gathering INstrument system (ORIGIN), a lightweight laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometer designed for space exploration missions. In this contribution, we demonstrate the current measurement capabilities of ORIGIN in detecting PAHs at different concentrations and applied laser pulse energies. Furthermore, we show that chemical processing of the PAHs during measurement is limited and that the parent mass can be detected in the majority of cases. The instrument achieves a 3σ detection limit in the order of femtomol mm−2 for all four PAHs, with the possibility of further increasing this sensitivity. This work illustrates the potential of ORIGIN as an instrument for the detection of molecules important for the emergence or presence of life, especially when viewed in combination with previous results by the instrument, such as the identification of amino acids. ORIGIN could be used on a lander or rover platform for future in situ missions to targets in the solar system, such as the icy moons of Jupiter or Saturn.
Authors 12
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Kristina A. Kipfer corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Leiden University · University of Colorado Boulder · Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics · Leiden Observatory · Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres and Cosmic Dust
Affiliation as printed
Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
Present address: Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Present address: Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
Present address: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
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Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
NCCR PlanetS, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Andreas Riedo corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; kristina.kipfer@unibe.ch, andreas.riedo@unibe.ch
Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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