An Orbitrap-based laser desorption/ablation mass spectrometer designed for spaceflight

Ricardo Arevalo Jr., Laura Selliez, Christelle Briois, Nathalie Carrasco, Laurent Thirkell, Barnabé Cherville, Fabrice Colin, Bertrand Gaubicher, Benjamin Farcy, Xiang Li, Alexander Makarov
(Submitted on 25 Jul 2018)

RATIONALE: The investigation of cryogenic planetary environments as potential harbors for extant life and/or contemporary sites of organic synthesis represents an emerging focal point in planetary exploration. Next generation instruments need to be capable of unambiguously determining elemental and/or molecular stoichiometry via highly accurate mass measurements and the separation of isobaric interferences. METHODS: An OrbitrapTM analyzer adapted for spaceflight (referred to as the CosmOrbitrap), coupled with a commercial pulsed UV laser source (266 nm), is shown to successfully characterize a variety of planetary analog samples via ultrahigh resolution laser desorption/ablation mass spectrometry. The materials analyzed in this study include: jarosite (a hydrous sulfate detected on Mars); magnesium sulfate (a potential component of the subsurface ocean on Europa); uracil (a nucleobase of RNA); and a variety of amino acids. RESULTS: The instrument configuration tested here enables: measurement of major elements and organic molecules with ultrahigh mass resolution (m/{\Delta}m higher than 120,000, FWHM); quantification of isotopic abundances with 1.0% (2{\sigma}) precision; and, identification of highly accurate masses within 3.2 ppm of absolute values. The analysis of a residue of a dilute solution of amino acids demonstrates the capacity to detect twelve amino acids in positive ion mode at concentrations as low as 1 pmol/mm2 while maintaining mass resolution and accuracy requirements. CONCLUSIONS: The CosmOrbitrap mass analyzer is highly sensitive and delivers mass resolution/accuracy unmatched by any instrument sent into orbit or launched into deep space. This prototype instrument, which maps to a spaceflight implementation, represents a missionenabling technology capable of advancing planetary exploration for decades to come.

Subjects:    Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)
DOI:    10.1002/rcm.8244
Cite as:    arXiv:1807.09454 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:1807.09454v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
Submission history
From: Nathalie Carrasco
[v1] Wed, 25 Jul 2018 06:57:29 GMT (936kb)
https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.09454