The Raman Mineral- and Bio-Detection Laboratory (RMBL) serves for research on various samples, relevant for ongoing and future missions. The research focus is on Raman detection of planetary analogue materials, bio-samples, ice, frozen salt solutions under ambient and different environmental conditions, which prevail during ongoing and future missions to Mars, asteroids and the icy worlds of the outer Solar System. Different environmental conditions (from 1 bar to 0.1 mbar in atmospheres with different composition, e.g. CO2, N2, and temperatures from 1500 K down to 5 K) can also be reproduced within corresponding cryo-stages.
The Confocal Raman microscope (WITec Alpha 300) is also able to perform Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). RMBL is additionally equipped with a bright field and fluorescence microscope for biology and mineralogy. The RMBL is not a service facility but could be used by cooperating partners and Co-investigators in the frame of projects and space missions.
