Project Overview
Characterizing Calibration Targets for the DIMPLE Experiment to the Moon
Department(s)
Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The DIMPLE experiment, an international collaboration for which Professor Levine is Deputy Principal Investigator, will fiy a novel mass spectrometer to the Moon in 2028, in order to analyze and date what look like the youngest volcanic rocks on the Moon. Like most sensitive instruments, the mass spectrometer will need to be calibrated regularly during its use by analyzing materials of known composition, in order to monitor its sensitivity to each type of atom. This summer, we will focus our efforts in identifying suitable calibration materials (their compositions need to be similar to the rocks we will find on the Moon and uniform on the sub-millimeter scale). We will also develop and test algorithms for inferring the rock composition from the mass spectra that can be used in real time while the experiment is running on the Moon.
Student Qualifications
Strong quantitative skills
Familiarity with some of the most common chemical elements in the environment
Progrmming experience desirable.
Number of Student Researchers
2 students
Project Length
8 weeks
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