Integrated LIBS and mid-infrared spectroscopy of lunar regolith (Invited Paper)

Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) have evolved to be suitable for developing and deploying science instruments for planetary missions. For instance, the NASA Mars rover missions included a suite of instruments (SUPERCAM) with laser spectrometers and LIBS instruments. Both combined can provide a critical chemical composition and quantitative detection of trace gases, solids, and liquids from excited electronics state and rotational, vibrational transitions. LIBS enables rapid in situ detection, spectral information of multi-elemental targets, and profile of lighter elements. In the LIBS technique, a laser is used to ablate a small amount of the sample of interest and turn it into a luminous microplasma, which is then analyzed spectroscopically. In this paper, we show the LIBS study of Lunar regolith, e.g., Lunar Mare and Lunar Highlands simulants. The paper will explore the electrical and physical properties of lunar regolith to enable electrically modified coatings of the lander for dust discharge. In addition, we also investigate the retention of water molecules in these regolith simulants using MIR laser spectroscopy.