Abstract
The purpose of this study was to calculate and compare the plasma temperatures and electron densities from the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) data collected by NASA’s Martian rover and compare them to samples measured in Earth’s atmosphere. Using the Boltzmann plots, LIBS plasma temperatures were obtained for each site. The analysis focused on titanium lines that were located in the spectral region between 300 and 310 nm. The electron density was measured using the Stark broadening of the hydrogen line at 656.6 nm; the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of this line can be measured and correlated to the electron density of the plasma. Due to a neighboring carbon peak with the hydrogen line seen in many of the spectra from the Martian sites, the FWHM needed to be calculated using a computer program that completed the other side of the hydrogen line and then it calculated the FWHM for those data samples affected by this. The plasma temperatures and electron densities of the Martian sites were compared to LIBS samples taken on Earth.
Highlights
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released over 300,000 data files from laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) studies conducted by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
The Martian data showed a larger average electron density using similar energy parameters; it is less than a twofold increase but the results show that the electron densities from the Martian and Earth data are significantly different from each other and that there is more broadening in the hydrogen line with the Martian9 data
The results in electron density using the hydrogen line from the Martian data tend to contradict what other studies have predicted about the electron density of plasma under Martian conditions
Summary
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released over 300,000 data files from laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) studies conducted by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)Curiosity rover, which was launched in November of 2011. The ChemCam system on the Curiosity rover highlights many of the important applications of LIBS, and how LIBS is such a useful technique for analytical chemistry and planetary exploration. The LIBS system aboard the MSL rover can provide elemental composition data on spots between 0.35 and 0.55 mm at distances over 7 m. The many applications of LIBS in detecting trace elements from carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, to heavy metals such as lead are invaluable for achieving the scientific objectives of the MSL. The small spot size of the LIBS system allows it to target specific layers in the sedimentary rocks.
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