Raman light scattering and thermal infrared spectroscopic studies of Phobos surface analogues: Towards the Martian Moon Exploration mission

Abstract

We applied visible-wavelength-range Raman scattering microscopy and thermal infrared reflection spectroscopy to study space weathering effects in the mineral mixes, representing the surface composition for different suggested scenarios of the Phobos moon formation. The analysis shows that the characteristic mineral compositions can be resolved both in the original surface simulants and also in those altered by the pulsed laser ablation, which simulates micrometeoritic bombardment at various kinetic energies. The special focus was addressed for spatial resolution in the Raman scattering spectra, showing implications for the in-situ operation of the Raman spectrometer instrument (RAX) on board of the lander in the JAXA Martian Moon eXploration mission.