Ions In Plume Research Articles

A highly efficient introduction system for single cell- ICP-MS and its application to detection of copper in single human red blood cells

A method of simultaneous cell counting and determination of metals in single cells using time-resolved inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was reported. A facile, low cost and highly efficient single-cell introduction system of time-resolved ICP-MS consists of a flow cell, a visual contrast calibration device, a customized nebulizer and a fabricated spray chamber. The flow cell includes a cell sample tube, a sheath liquid tube and a flow chamber. The visual contrast calibration device was composed of a microscope with a 16 × microscope objective (160 × total magnification). The flow chamber was used to combine a flow of red blood cell suspension (0.800 μL/min) and a flow of PBS (4.40 μL/min) into the nebulizer. The intact cells were directly introduced with the single-cell introduction system into the plasma via nebulizing, and then ion plumes corresponding to single cells were individually detected with mass spectrometer. The frequency of the spikes directly reflects the number of cells, and the intensity of spikes is proportional to the concentration of copper within one cell. The single-cell introduction system can be transported into the ICP-MS via a customized transport system with 100% efficiency. A high cell introduction efficiency into the plasma supports for a reduction of cell consumption. The Cu signal frequency was about 120 cell events per minute. This single-cell introduction system simplifies the introduction of individual and intact cells. The copper content in single red blood cell was 0.20–0.40 fg.

Triple Langmuir Probes Measurements of LaB6 Hollow Cathodes Plume

Lanthanum hexaboride hollow cathodes represent a viable option for high power Hall effect thruster applications, under development for the next generation of manned and robotic interplanetary missions. In this scenario, SITAEL and the University of Pisa are actively developing high current hollow cathodes capable of providing discharge current in the range 10-100 A to be coupled with high power Hall effect thrusters. The cathode design is based on an in-house theoretical model of the internal sections of the cathode, recently integrated with a simplified model of the cathode plume. Despite the application of hollow cathodes on flight and laboratory model Hall effect thrusters, many questions remain unsolved. In particular, issues related to onset of instabilities, due to plume mode or ion acoustic turbulence, are still unclear, while it is known that they can affect the overall performance of the cathode and thruster unit. This paper focuses on the experimental investigation of the cathode plume by means of measurements of the main plasma parameters, at different operating conditions and for different cathode geometry. Two cathodes were investigated, namely HC20 and HC60, designed to be coupled with SITAEL’s HT5k and HT20k (5 kW- and 20kW-class) Hall effect thrusters. The cathodes were mounted in stand-alone configuration with an auxiliary cylindrical anode. The experimental campaign was performed using triple Langmuir probes as plasma diagnostic system. The probes were mounted on scanning mechanisms to measure the plume parameters at various radial and axial distances from the keeper exit. General trends of electron temperature, plasma potential and plasma density are reported in terms of discharge current, mass flow rate and cathode orifice geometry. The results highlight that the cathode plate orifice selection affects the plume mode onset, giving the possibility to extend the stable mode of cathode operation in the current range required by the thruster.

Plume diagnostics of BUSTLab microwave electrothermal thruster using Langmuir and Faraday probes

This study presents the Langmuir and Faraday probe measurements conducted to determine the plume characteristics of the BUSTLab microwave electrothermal thruster (MET). The thruster, designed to operate at 2.45 GHz frequency, is run with helium, argon and nitrogen gases as the propellant. For the measurements, the propellant volume flow rate and the delivered microwave power levels are varied. Experiments with nitrogen gas revealed certain operation regimes where a very luminous plume is observed. With the use of in-house-built Langmuir probes and a Faraday probe with guard ring, thruster plume electron temperature, plasma density and ion current density values are measured, and the results are presented. The measurements show that MET thruster plume effects on spacecraft will likely be similar to those of the arcjet plume. It is observed that the measured plume ion flux levels are very low for the high volume flow rates used for the operation of this thruster.

The Induced Global Looping Magnetic Field on Mars

Abstract Magnetic fields inconsistent with draped interplanetary magnetic fields and crustal fields have been observed on Mars. Considering the discovery of a global looping magnetic field around the Venusian magnetotail and the similarities in the solar wind interactions between Mars and Venus, we use Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution observations to investigate the global looping field on Mars and its formation mechanism. It is found that a global looping field also exists on Mars; therefore, this type of global looping field is a common feature of unmagnetized planetary bodies with ionospheres, and therefore should also exist on Titan and near-Sun comets. The comparison of the looping fields on Mars and Venus shows that the looping field is stronger on Mars. Solar wind azimuthal flows around the magnetotail toward the − magnetotail polar region ( ) are observed. We illustrate that the looping field can be formed by bending the draped field lines with these azimuthal flows, and that these azimuthal flows are associated with heavy ion plumes along the + direction that are expected to be stronger on Mars than Venus. The current system associated with the looping field and its possible connection with the nightside ionosphere formations and ion escapes on Mars and Venus are discussed.

Quantitative determination of trace metals in single yeast cells by time-resolved ICP-MS using dissolved standards for calibration.

Time-resolved inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for studying cellular heterogeneity or detecting metals in single cells draws increasing attention in the recent years. Considering the full width of a single-cell event is about 0.5-0.9ms, dependent on the duration of the ion plume generation in typical ICP condition, dwell time shorter than the transient event was suggested for fully profiling it. Herein we investigated the effect of dwell time (0.1-10.0ms) on the signal profiles of single-cell events, signal-to-background ratio, duty cycle of detection, the limit of detection, and the ability of cell counting by the time-resolved ICP-MS, using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells as example. Two calibration equations with respect to the length of dwell time (0.1ms or 5.0ms), simply using dissolved metal standard solutions, were constructed and successfully applied to the determination of K, Mg, Zn, Mn, and Cu in single yeast cells. The limit of detection (LOD, fg per cell) obtained at dwell time 0.1ms was 1.68 (K), 0.29 (Mg), 0.17 (Zn), 0.01 (Mn), and 0.02 (Cu) for single-cell analysis of yeast cells; the LOD (fg per cell) at 5.0ms was 80.0 (K), 10.3 (Mg), 1.6 (Zn), 0. 14 (Mn), and 0.24 (Cu), respectively. The results showed that a short dwell time leading to high signal-to-background ratio and low LOD was a prerequisite for the quantitative analysis of ultra-trace content of metals in single cells.

Ion Escape From Mars Through Time: An Extrapolation of Atmospheric Loss Based on 10 Years of Mars Express Measurements

AbstractSolar wind‐driven atmospheric ion escape has long been hypothesized as a major influence on the evolution of the Martian atmosphere due to the lack of a Martian global dipole magnetic field. We use 10 years (2007–2017) of Mars Express data to quantify the ion escape rate over the fully sampled parameter space of upstream solar wind dynamic pressure, pdyn, and solar photoionizing flux, FXUV. The modeled dependence on the upstream parameters indicates a near‐linear dependence on FXUV and weak negative correlation with pdyn. Integrating total heavy ion escape back through time, considering the evolution of the upstream parameters and the modeled trends, can only account for an estimated 4.8 ± 1.1 mbar of atmosphere lost as ions since the middle to late Hesperian (∼3.3 Ga ago). Accounting for the recently reported stability of ion escape through the energetic oxygen ion plume provides an upper estimate of ∼6 mbar lost. Extending the extrapolation to the late Noachian (3.9 Ga ago) accounts for 6.3 ± 1.9 mbar, and analogously up to ∼9 mbar, lost through ion escape since that time. Thus, the ion escape trends observed by Mars Express indicate that atmospheric ion escape contributed only a minor role in the evolution of the Martian atmosphere. We also report solar wind control of the cold ion outflow channel, providing a tentative explanation for the low response of the ion escape rate to upstream solar wind.

Modification of the Ferromagnetic Properties of Si1 –xMnx Thin Films Synthesized by Pulsed Laser Deposition with a Variation in the Buffer-Gas Pressure

A series of thin films of Si1 –xMnx alloys with a thickness from 50 to 100 nm grown by pulsed laser deposition on an Al2O3 substrate in vacuum and in an argon atmosphere is investigated. The significant effect of the buffer-gas pressure in the sputtering chamber on the structural and magnetic homogeneity of the obtained films is shown. The conditions for the formation of a ferromagnetic phase with a high Curie temperature (>300 K) in the samples are studied. With the use of the Langmuir probe method, the threshold of ablation of a MnSi target by second harmonic radiation (λ = 532 nm) of a Nd:YAG Q-switch laser is determined. The time-of-flight curves for the plume ions are obtained with a change in the energy density at the target and argon pressure in the sputtering chamber. A nonmonotonic dependence of the probe time-of-flight signal amplitude on the argon pressure is established for high-energy particles of the plume.

In-plume acceleration of leading-edge ions from a pulsed plasma thruster

Pulsed plasma thrusters are a form of electric propulsion for spacecraft. Their research has undergone recent growth due to an increasing interest in small satellites. However, their plasma plumes are transient and challenging to study due to the extremely short discharge time that lasts in the order of microseconds. The plasma plume is accelerated by a combination of electrothermal and electromagnetic forces. With electromagnetic acceleration, the ions are typically thought to be only accelerated within the thruster by the Lorentz force. Estimated downstream exhaust velocities have ranged widely from 5 to 60 km s−1, with values on the lower end corresponding to electrothermal acceleration. However, we show here that the fastest leading-edge ions continue to accelerate in the plume even in the absence of electromagnetic forces. Pulsed plasma thruster plumes are composed of electrons and a mixture of ion species with different ionization levels. Due to this quasi-neutrality of the plasma plume with electrons featuring much larger velocities than ions, we suggest that the acceleration might be ambipolar in nature. The leading-edge ions eventually reach velocities in excess of 100 km s−1, far greater than values typically associated with electrothermal acceleration. This indicates that care must be taken in the accurate measurement of the ion velocity in the plume. The ion plume may also be more energetic than previously believed. Furthermore, we also propose that simple extrapolation can be used to determine the actual exit plane ion velocity; this value can be used as accurate input data for future simulations.

Oxygen Ion Energization at Mars: Comparison of MAVEN and Mars Express Observations to Global Hybrid Simulation

AbstractWe study oxygen ion energization in the Mars‐solar wind interaction by comparing particle and magnetic field observations on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) and Mars Express missions to a global hybrid simulation. We find that large‐scale structures of the Martian‐induced magnetosphere and plasma environment as well as the Mars heavy ion plume as seen by multispacecraft observations are reproduced by the model. Using the simulation, we estimate the dynamics of escaping oxygen ions by analyzing their distance and time of flight as a function of the gained kinetic energy along spacecraft trajectories. In the upstream region the heavy ion energization resembles single‐particle solar wind ion pickup acceleration as expected, while within the induced magnetosphere the energization displays other features including the heavy ion plume from the ionosphere. Oxygen ions take up to 80 s and travel the distance of 20,000 km after their emission from the ionosphere to the induced magnetosphere or photoionization from the neutral exosphere before they have reached energies of 10 keV in the plume along the analyzed spacecraft orbits. Lower oxygen ion energies of 100 eV are reached faster in 10–20 s over the distance of 100–200 km in the plume. Our finding suggests that oxygen ions are typically observed within the first half of their gyrophase if the spacecraft periapsis is on the hemisphere where the solar wind convection electric field points away from Mars.

Модификация ферромагнитных свойств тонких пленок Si-=SUB=-1-x-=/SUB=-Mn-=SUB=-x-=/SUB=-, синтезируемых методом импульсного лазерного осаждения при изменении давления буферного газа

AbstractA series of thin films of Si_1 –_ x Mn_ x alloys with a thickness from 50 to 100 nm grown by pulsed laser deposition on an Al_2O_3 substrate in vacuum and in an argon atmosphere is investigated. The significant effect of the buffer-gas pressure in the sputtering chamber on the structural and magnetic homogeneity of the obtained films is shown. The conditions for the formation of a ferromagnetic phase with a high Curie temperature (>300 K) in the samples are studied. With the use of the Langmuir probe method, the threshold of ablation of a MnSi target by second harmonic radiation (λ = 532 nm) of a Nd:YAG Q -switch laser is determined. The time-of-flight curves for the plume ions are obtained with a change in the energy density at the target and argon pressure in the sputtering chamber. A nonmonotonic dependence of the probe time-of-flight signal amplitude on the argon pressure is established for high-energy particles of the plume.

The Effect of Solar Wind Variations on the Escape of Oxygen Ions From Mars Through Different Channels: MAVEN Observations

AbstractWe present multi‐instrument observations of the effects of solar wind on ion escape fluxes on Mars based on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) data from 1 November 2014 to 15 May 2016. Losses of oxygen ions through different channels (plasma sheet, magnetic lobes, boundary layer, and ion plume) as a function of the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field variations were studied. We have utilized the modified Mars Solar Electric (MSE) coordinate system for separation of the different escape routes. Fluxes of the low‐energy (≤30 eV) and high‐energy (≥30 eV) ions reveal different trends with changes in the solar wind dynamic pressure, the solar wind flux, and the motional electric field. Major oxygen fluxes occur through the tail of the induced magnetosphere. The solar wind motional electric field produces an asymmetry in the ion fluxes and leads to different relations between ion fluxes supplying the tail from the different hemispheres and the solar wind dynamic pressure (or flux) and the motional electric field. The main driver for escape of the high‐energy oxygen ions is the solar wind flux (or dynamic pressure). On the other hand, the low‐energy ion component shows the opposite trend: ion flux decreases with increasing solar wind flux. As a result, the averaged total oxygen ion fluxes reveal a low variability with the solar wind strength. The large standard deviations from the averages values of the escape fluxes indicate the existence of mechanisms which can enhance or suppress the efficiency of the ion escape. It is shown that the Martian magnetosphere possesses the properties of a combined magnetosphere which contains different classes of field lines. The existence of the closed magnetic field lines in the near‐Mars tail might be responsible for suppression of the ion escape fluxes.

Analysis of dayside magnetosphere of Mars: High mass loading case as observed on MAVEN spacecraft

MAVEN spacecraft provides new opportunities for analysis of Martian environment and physical process in near-Mars space. One of interesting regions of near-Mars space is the Martian magnetosphere that is formed from mass-loaded magnetic flux tubes. There is quite detailed knowledge of the night-side magnetosphere of Mars, however the number of publications on the dayside magnetosphere are quite limited. We analyze the plasma and magnetic structure and properties of Martian magnetosphere at strong mass-loading conditions as observed on MAVEN at Mars at the solar-zenith angle of ∼80° on January 4, 2015. This strong mass loading of upstream flow was apparently associated with plume ions ejected from upper part of Martian magnetosphere by the solar wind motional electric field. The magnetosphere is defined by two current layers separating it from the magnetosheath at higher altitudes and from ionosphere plasma at lower altitudes. It is characterized by dominance of planetary ions which number density increases by two orders of magnitude from upper boundary to lower one. There is approximate equipartition between magnetic, ion thermal and kinetic energies through magnetosphere. The data suggest that the boundary of the magnetosphere is in pressure equilibrium with magnetosheath flow. The total energy of ion flow above (in the magnetosheath) and below (in the region of accelerated ionospheric ions) magnetosphere exceeds the magnetic energy. The upper boundary of magnetosphere was located at the place where the ratio of heavy ions and protons number densities reached ∼0.4. Within magnetosphere this ratio continued to rise and increased by about 2 orders of magnitude at the inner boundary of magnetosphere. The heavy ion number density profile within magnetosphere suggests that it was formed by the solar wind magnetic flux tubes that reached Mars in a narrow region near the subsolar point, and then drifted around Mars to the terminator region, mass-loaded by UV-ionized upper atmosphere neutrals during this drift.

Ion and extreme ultraviolet emission features of CO2 laser produced Sn and SnO2 plasmas

The plasma plume expansion, ion debris and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission features of CO2 laser-produced Sn and SnO2 plasmas are investigated in this work. The expansion parameters of laser-produced plasma (LPP) are estimated using a fast-gated intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) imaging system, while the ion debris is detected using a Faraday cup and the time-of-flight (TOF) method. Additionally, the EUV emissions from CO2 laser-produced Sn and SnO2 plasmas are measured using a grazing incidence flat-field spectrograph and EUV photodiodes. The ICCD images show that the SnO2 plasma plume has a broader edge when compared with that of the Sn plasma. Because of the differences between the thermodynamic parameters of the samples, the total ion number and the kinetic energy were both higher for the SnO2 plasma than for the Sn plasma. The maximum estimated conversion efficiencies (CEs) of the Sn and SnO2 plasmas were 1.1% and 0.9%, respectively; the difference is due to the lower Sn fraction in SnO2. The results of the angularly-resolved EUV emission measurements showed that the detected EUV energy decreases as the angle with respect to the laser axis increases.

Golf ball-assisted electrospray ionization of mass spectrometry for the determination of trace amino acids in complex samples

During the electrospray ionization (ESI) process, ions move through a heated capillary aperture to be detected on arrival at a mass analyzer. However, the ESI process creates an ion plume, which expands into an ion cloud with an area larger than that of the heated capillary aperture, significantly contributing to an ion loss of 50% due to coulombic repulsion. The use of DC and RF fields to focus ions from the ion source into the vacuum chamber has been proposed in the literature, but the improvement of ion transmission efficiency is limited. To improve ion transmission, in this study we propose a novel method using a home-made golf ball positioned between the ion source and the inlet of the mass analyzer to hydrodynamically focus the ions passing through the golf ball. The ion plume produced by the ESI process passes through the golf ball will reduce the size of the ion cloud then be focused and most of them flowed into the mass analyzer. Therefore, the sensitivity will be improved, the aim of this investigation is to study the enhancing of the signal using golf ball-assisted electrospray ionization liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine 20 trace amino acids in complex samples, including tea, urine and serum. The results showed that the analytical performance of the determination of the 20 amino acids in tea, urine and serum samples using the home-made golf ball-assisted ESI source is better than that of a commercial ESI source. The signal intensities of the 20 amino acids were enhanced by factors of 2–2700, 11–2525, and 31–342680 in oolong tea, urine and serum analyses, respectively. The precision of the proposed method ranged from 1–9%, 0.4–9% and 0.4–8% at low, medium and high concentration levels of amino acids, respectively. The home-made golf ball-assisted ESI source effectively increased the signal intensity and enhanced the ion transmission efficiency and is also an easy, convenient and economical device. This technique can be applied to the analysis of trace compounds in complex matrices.

Ion energy distributions and densities in the plume of Enceladus

Enceladus has a dynamic plume that is emitting gas, including water vapor, and dust. The gas is ionized by solar EUV radiation, charge exchange, and electron impact and extends throughout the inner magnetosphere of Saturn. The charge exchange collisions alter the plasma composition. Ice grains (dust) escape from the vicinity of Enceladus and form the E ring, including a portion that is negatively charged by the local plasma. The inner magnetosphere within 10RS (Saturn radii) contains a complex mixture of plasma, neutral gas, and dust that links back to Enceladus. In this paper we investigate the energy distributions, ion species and densities of water group ions in the plume of Enceladus using test particle and Monte Carlo methods that include collisional processes such as charge exchange and ion-neutral chemical reactions. Ion observations from the Cassini Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) for E07 are presented for the first time. We use the modeling results to interpret observations made by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) and the INMS. The low energy ions, as observed by CAPS, appear to be affected by a vertical electric field (EZ=−10µV/m) in the plume. The EZ field may be associated with the charged dust and/or the pressure gradient of plasma. The model results, along with the results of earlier models, show that H3O+ ions created by chemistry are predominant in the plume, which agrees with INMS and CAPS data, but the INMS count rate in the plume for the model is several times greater than the data, which we do not fully understand. This composition and the total ion count found in the plume agree with INMS and CAPS data. On the other hand, the Cassini Langmuir Probe measured a maximum plume ion density more than 30,000cm−3, which is far larger than the maximum ion density from our model, 900cm−3. The model results also demonstrate that most of the ions in the plume are from the external magnetospheric flow and are not generated by local ionization. The origin of the ions in the plume was investigated using two different velocity models. Most ions were created by the interaction with background magnetospheric plasma and by photoionization. INMS and CAPS also detected water cluster ions. We will interpret these observations as a result of ion collisions with neutral water clusters, (H2O)n, originating in the tiger stripe vents as suggested by Tokar et al. (2009). We also estimated the process of generating cluster ions based on the INMS observations. We suggest that the most likely source is reaction of H3O+ with neutral water clusters or dimers such as (H2O)2 formed in the plume vents.

Analysis of Bacterial Lipooligosaccharides by MALDI-TOF MS with Traveling Wave Ion Mobility.

Lipooligosaccharides (LOS) are major microbial virulence factors displayed on the outer membrane of rough-type Gram-negative bacteria. These amphipathic glycolipids are comprised of two domains, a core oligosaccharide linked to a lipid A moiety. Isolated LOS samples are generally heterogeneous mixtures of glycoforms, with structural variability in both domains. Traditionally, the oligosaccharide and lipid A components of LOS have been analyzed separately following mild acid hydrolysis, although important acid-labile moieties can be cleaved. Recently, an improved method was introduced for analysis of intact LOS by MALDI-TOF MS using a thin layer matrix composed of 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP) and nitrocellulose. In addition to molecular ions, the spectra show in-source "prompt" fragments arising from regiospecific cleavage between the lipid A and oligosaccharide domains. Here, we demonstrate the use of traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS) for IMS-MS and IMS-MS/MS analyses of intact LOS from Neisseria spp. ionized by MALDI. Using IMS, the singly charged prompt fragments for the oligosaccharide and lipid A domains of LOS were readily separated into resolved ion plumes, permitting the extraction of specific subspectra, which led to increased confidence in assigning compositions and improved detection of less abundant ions. Moreover, IMS separation of precursor ions prior to collision-induced dissociation (CID) generated time-aligned, clean MS/MS spectra devoid of fragments from interfering species. Incorporating IMS into the profiling of intact LOS by MALDI-TOF MS exploits the unique domain structure of the molecule and offers a new means of extracting more detailed information from the analysis. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Spacecraft plume interactions with the magnetosphere plasma environment in geostationary Earth orbit

AbstractParticle‐based kinetic simulations of steady and unsteady hydrazine chemical rocket plumes are presented in a study of plume interactions with the ambient magnetosphere in geostationary Earth orbit. The hydrazine chemical rocket plume expands into a near‐vacuum plasma environment, requiring the use of a combined direct simulation Monte Carlo/particle‐in‐cell methodology for the rarefied plasma conditions. Detailed total and differential cross sections are employed to characterize the charge exchange reactions between the neutral hydrazine plume mixture and the ambient hydrogen ions, and ion production is also modeled for photoionization processes. These ionization processes lead to an increase in local plasma density surrounding the spacecraft owing to a partial ionization of the relatively high‐density hydrazine plume. Results from the steady plume simulations indicate that the formation of the hydrazine ion plume are driven by several competing mechanisms, including (1) local depletion and (2) replenishing of ambient H+ ions by charge exchange and thermal motion of 1 keV H+ from the ambient reservoir, respectively, and (3) photoionization processes. The self‐consistent electrostatic field forces and the geostationary magnetic field have only a small influence on the dynamics of the ion plume. The unsteady plume simulations show a variation in neutral and ion plume dissipation times consistent with the variation in relative diffusion rates of the chemical species, with full H2 dissipation (below the ambient number density levels) approximately 33 s after a 2 s thruster burn.

New experimental capability to investigate the hypervelocity micrometeoroid bombardment of cryogenic surfaces.

Ice is prevalent throughout the solar system and beyond. Though the evolution of many of these icy surfaces is highly dependent on associated micrometeoroid impact phenomena, experimental investigation of these impacts has been extremely limited, especially at the impactor speeds encountered in space. The dust accelerator facility at the Institute for Modeling Plasmas, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT) of NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute has developed a novel cryogenic system that will facilitate future study of hypervelocity impacts into ice and icy regolith. The target consists of a copper block, cooled by liquid nitrogen, upon which layers of vapor-deposited ice, pre-frozen ice, or icy regolith can be built in a controlled and quantifiable environment. This ice can be grown from a variety of materials, including H2O, CH3OH, NH3, and slurries containing nanophase iron. Ice temperatures can be varied between 96 K and 150 K and ice thickness greater than 150 nm can be accurately measured. Importantly, the composition of ion plumes created during micrometeoroid impacts onto these icy layers can be measured even in trace amounts by in situ time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. In this paper, we present the fundamental design components of the cryogenic target chamber at IMPACT and proof-of-concept results from target development and from first impacts into thick layers of water ice.

Programmable SERS active substrates for chemical and biosensing applications using amorphous/crystalline hybrid silicon nanomaterial.

We present the creation of a unique nanostructured amorphous/crystalline hybrid silicon material that exhibits surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity. This nanomaterial is an interconnected network of amorphous/crystalline nanospheroids which form a nanoweb structure; to our knowledge this material has not been previously observed nor has it been applied for use as a SERS sensing material. This material is formed using a femtosecond synthesis technique which facilitates a laser plume ion condensation formation mechanism. By fine-tuning the laser plume temperature and ion interaction mechanisms within the plume, we are able to precisely program the relative proportion of crystalline Si to amorphous Si content in the nanospheroids as well as the size distribution of individual nanospheroids and the size of Raman hotspot nanogaps. With the use of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) and Crystal Violet (CV) chemical dyes, we have been able to observe a maximum enhancement factor of 5.38 × 106 and 3.72 × 106 respectively, for the hybrid nanomaterial compared to a bulk Si wafer substrate. With the creation of a silicon-based nanomaterial capable of SERS detection of analytes, this work demonstrates a redefinition of the role of nanostructured Si from an inactive to SERS active role in nano-Raman sensing applications.

An ambient detection system for visualization of charged particles generated with ionization methods at atmospheric pressure.

With the current state-of-the-art detection of ions only taking place under vacuum conditions, active pixel detectors that operate under ambient conditions are of particular interest. These detectors are ideally suited to study and characterize the charge distributions generated by ambient ionization sources. The direct imaging capabilities of the active pixel detector are used to investigate the spatial distributions of charged droplets generated by three ionization sources, named electrospray ionization (ESI), paper spray ionization (PSI) and surface acoustic wave nebulization (SAWN). The ionization spray (ESI/PSI) and ionization plume (SAWN) originating from each source are directly imaged. The effect of source parameters such as spray voltage for ESI and PSI, and the angle of the paper spray tip on the charge distributions, is investigated. Two types of SAWN liquid interface, progressive wave (PW) and standing wave (SW), are studied. Direct charge detection under ambient conditions is demonstrated using an active pixel detector. Direct charge distributions are obtained of weak, homogeneous/focused and dispersed spray plumes by applying low, intermediate and high spray potentials, respectively, for ESI. Spray plume footprints obtained for various angles of PSI shows the possibility to focus the ion beam as a function of the paper angle. Differences between two designs of the SAWN interface are determined. Droplet charge flux changes are illustrated in a way similar to a total ion chromatogram. The use of this active pixel detector allows the rapid characterization and optimization of different ambient ionization sources without the actual use of a mass spectrometer. Valuable illustrations are obtained of changes in spatial distribution and number of charges detected for ESI, PSI and SAWN ion plumes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.