The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) laboratory is dedicated to the investigation of planetary materials under simulated environmental conditions of planetary surfaces or the surface of moons or asteroids. This also includes high vacuum and icy surfaces.
The laboratory is equipped with preparation facilities for planetary analog materials as well as currently four dedicated LIBS setups:
High-resolution LIBS setup for time-resolved measurements with a large spectral coverage at a high resolution
Plasma and schlieren imaging setup for spatially and temporally resolved measurements of the plasma emissions and the plasma shock wave
Vacuum-UV-LIBS setup for measurements in the vacuum-UV spectral range
VOILA (Volatiles Identification by Laser Ablation) demonstration model that was developed as part of the EU Horizon 2020 project LUVMI-X to demonstrate the concept for a lunar LIBS payload.
The pressure and the composition of the ambient gas can be adjusted in all setups while the temperature can be additionally adjusted in the simulation chambers of the high-resolution setup and of the VOILA demonstration model, allowing the analysis of frozen samples. The LIBS laboratory is furthermore equipped with a LIBS handheld device for in field measurements and additional components for LIBS and Raman spectroscopy setups, both prototypes as well as commercial parts. Finally, a LIBS modular payload box developed for the LRU (Lightweight Rover Unit) from DLR RMC in Oberpfaffenhofen in the framework of the Helmholtz ARCHES project.
All laboratory setups are equipped with high-power pulsed lasers to produce the laser-induced plasma spectrometers and other auxiliary equipment:
High-resolution spectrometer with two separate optical paths, one for the UV spectral range from 190 nm to 375 nm and one for the UV/VIS/NIR spectral range from 275 nm to 855 nm. Spectral resolution is 15 pm at 190 nm and 90 pm at 855 nm. Equipped with an ICCD camera for time-resolved measurements with a temporal resolution of 10 ns.
Vacuum-UV spectrometer for the spectral range from 100 nm to 300 nm with a spectral resolution of 0.13 nm at 254 nm.
Imaging monochromator for the spectral range from 220 nm to 950 nm with a spectral resolution of 0.13 nm at 546 nm. Equipped with an ICCD camera for time-resolved measurements with a temporal resolution of 10 ns.
Actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with laser wavelength of 1064 nm, pulse width of 6 ns, pulse energy of up to 250 mJ, pulse frequency of up to 10 Hz.
Actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with a laser wavelength of 1064 nm, pulse width of 7 ns, pulse energy of up to 130 mJ, pulse frequency of up to 10 Hz.
Actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with a laser wavelength of 1064 nm, pulse width of 8 ns, pulse energy of up to 31 mJ, pulse frequency of up to 20 Hz.
Passively Q-switched Yb:YAG laser with a laser wavelength of 1030 nm, pulse width of 9 ns, pulse energy of up to 30 mJ, pulse frequency of up to 10 Hz.
Turbomolecular pumps and vacuum chambers.
Handheld LIBS device with a spectral range from 190 nm to 950 nm, a laser wavelength of 1064 nm, a pulse energy of 7.5 mJ, and a pulse frequency of up to 50 Hz.
