Near-field spectroscopy and imaging

The spectroscopy and near-field imaging part of PLANETIPAG is composed of:

• An FTIR spectrometer for instrumentation
• An FTIR spectrometer coupled to an ultra-high vacuum cryogenic chamber to allow for syntheses of ices and for their characteristics to be measured: transmittance measurements, samples: deposits / films of ice and / or more refractory compounds, KBr pellets, liquids
• An FTIR spectrometer coupled to a microscope for measuring grain-type samples (OSUG instrument):
  • transmittance measurements, samples: KBr pellets, deposit / thin films, particles, ice, liquids
  • reflectance measurements using a reflectance kit, samples: powder surface / compact sample, no ice form
• An atomic force microscope coupled to an infrared spectrometer (AFM-IR) which makes it possible to carry out the chemical mapping of a sample with nanometric resolutions: model with two complementary techniques, an AFM-IR (Atomic force microscope coupled with pulsed infrared laser) and s-SNOM (scattering Scanning Near Field Optical Microscopy)
• A UV / Visible spectrometer that allows measurements on liquids and solids.

AFM-IR is part of the ERC SOLARYS project led by Pierre Beck.

FTIR spectrometer and cryogenic chamber

Technical characteristics

• Mono detector InGaAs, spectral range 12000 - 5000cm-1
• Single DTGS detector, spectral range 6000 - 400cm-1
• 2 light sources (Vis / IR and IR)
• 1 Ultra-vacuum cryogenic chamber developed at IPAG (10K - 300K)
• Several cryogenic crystal growth cells developed at IPAG (thickness 100 µm to 10mm)

FTIR spectrometer and microscope

Technical characteristics

• 64x64 pixel FPA detector, spectral range 7000 - 600cm-1
• Mono detector MCT, spectral range 5000 - 400cm-1
• 2 light sources (Vis / IR and IR)
• X15 objective and ATR objective
• 1 cryogenic cell developed at IPAG (+ 20° C to -192° C)
• 1 vacuum heating cell developed at IPAG (20° C to 300° C, P <10E-6 mbar)

Atomic Force Microscope and Infrared Spectrometer (AFMIR)

Technical characteristics

• AFM-IR, 2 lasers:
  • Carmina laser, spectral range 2000-690 cm-1
  • Laser FireFly (Fast OPO pulsed laser) spectral range: 4000 - 2700 cm
  • Spatial resolution: 10-20 nm
• s-SNOM:
  • Carmina laser spectral range 3000-690 cm-1

UV/Visible spectrometer

Technical characteristics

• Detector: Si-photodiode
• Sources: UV and VIS dual source spectrophotometer
• Spectral range: 190-1100 nm
• Bandwidth 1 nm
• Variable scan speed from 10 to 8000 nm / min.
• RMS background noise: 0.00004 Abs
• Baseline variation 0.0005 Abs (200-1000 nm)
• Baseline stability: 0.0004 Abs / Hour.
• Linear photometric range -3 to +3 Abs over the entire range ( 4 Abs in the visible).
• Wavelength precision: 0.2 nm over the entire range (0.1 nm to 486 nm)
• Repeatability 0.1 nm

– Van T.H. Phan, et al. (2021). Infrared spectroscopy quantification of functional carbon groups in kerogens and coals: A calibration procedure, Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 259, 119853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2021.119853
– Potin, S. et al. (2020). Mineralogy, chemistry, and composition of organic compounds in the fresh carbonaceous chondrite Mukundpura: CM1 or CM2?, Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 55 (7), 1681-1696. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13540
– Battandier, M. et al. (2018). Characterization of the organic matter and hydration state of Antarctic micrometeorites: A reservoir distinct from carbonaceous chondrites, Icarus, 306, 74-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2018.02.002
– Quirico, E. et al. (2018). Prevalence and nature of heating processes in CM and C2-ungrouped chrondrites as revealed by insoluble organic matter, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 241, 17-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2018.08.029