Comparison of Line-Focused and Point-Focused Raman Mineral Analysis in Planetary Exploration

Raman spectroscopy plays a critical role in planetary exploration by providing detailed analysis of mineralogical and chemical compositions. However, the conventional point-focused Raman systems, while precise, are limited by their time-consuming nature, which hampers efficiency in space missions. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mengyu Wang, Chenyu Wang, Ping Liu, Hongkun Qu, Zongcheng Ling
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/23/4373
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Summary:Raman spectroscopy plays a critical role in planetary exploration by providing detailed analysis of mineralogical and chemical compositions. However, the conventional point-focused Raman systems, while precise, are limited by their time-consuming nature, which hampers efficiency in space missions. This study compares a line-focused Raman spectroscopy system equipped with a cylindrical mirror array to a traditional point-focused system by testing various lunar-analogue minerals. The results demonstrate that the line-focused mode significantly reduces mineral detection time while covering larger sample surface areas, albeit with a slightly higher detection limit compared to the point-focused mode. Both modes exhibit similar capabilities in mineral identification and compositional analysis, with the line-focused system offering a more practical solution for rapid, high-throughput analysis in large-scale planetary geological surveys. These findings suggest that the line-focused Raman system could be a valuable tool in accelerating geochemical data collection during future deep space exploration missions.
ISSN:2072-4292