What is it about?
We have built a new laboratory setup called COCoNuT that helps us study materials similar to those found on comets. It uses a special kind of light, called terahertz radiation, to examine icy and dusty substances in extreme conditions—very cold temperatures and near vacuum, just like in space. Our system can take detailed measurements of how these materials behave and even create images by scanning across them. This tool will help scientists better understand what comets are made of and how they change over time.
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Why is it important?
What makes this setup unique is that it combines THz spectroscopy with the ability to move the sample precisely in two dimensions, allowing us to scan across the surface and create detailed images. It can also measure details in the material’s properties thanks to its high resolution. It can also gather information about the absorption features of specific materials.
Perspectives
Looking ahead, COCoNuT offers exciting opportunities for a wide range of scientific research. It can be used to: • Support future space missions by helping interpret data from comet sample-return missions. • Study the physical changes that happen to icy materials over time, such as sublimation or phase transitions. • Explore analogs of other icy bodies, like the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, which may hold clues to extraterrestrial life. • Advance THz spectroscopy techniques, which could also benefit materials science, climate research, and even security scanning. By bridging laboratory studies and planetary exploration, COCoNuT provides a powerful platform for answering some of the most fundamental questions about our solar system and the origins of life.
Linus Stöckli
Universitat Bern
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Design and commissioning of a THz time-domain spectro-goniometer in a cryogenic comet simulation chamber, Review of Scientific Instruments, March 2025, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0252742.
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