Non-traditional stable isotope measurements using laser desorption Orbitrap mass spectrometry: Implications for planetary missions
Abstract
Isotopic fractionation recorded in planetary materials provides insights into physical, chemical, and/or potential biological processes occurring on Solar System bodies. As we enter into the next decades of planetary exploration, the crucial information revealed by isotopic compositions of rocky and icy samples mandates that next generation spaceflight instrumentation possess the capability to measure isotope ratios in situ with sufficient precision/accuracy to distinguish between such processes. In addition to identifying and fingerprinting complex organic materials with high accuracy and ultrahigh mass resolutions, laser desorption Orbitrap™ mass spectrometry (LD-O-MS) has the capability to determine the elemental and isotopic composition of solid planetary materials such as rock, regolith, organics, ice, etc. Here, we use a space-qualified LD-O-MS instrument comprising a 266 nm ultraviolet (UV) laser and Orbitrap mass analyzer ruggedized for planetary applications to investigate the stable isotopic composition of Ti and Zn metal plates. Based on the isotopic analyses, we constrain the performance of the CORALS instrument to sub per mille (‰) level accuracy and precision for Ti and at the per mille (‰) level for Zn. An LD-O-MS instrument is a versatile instrument capable of measuring the isotopic composition of a variety of planetary samples and would constitute a critical instrument in the exploration of various planetary bodies including but not limited to the Moon, Mars, Enceladus and other ocean or icy worlds, Ceres and other asteroids, and comets, thereby answering several high-priority questions pertaining to the formation and evolution of our Solar System.
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BibTeX
@article{ray2026nontraditional,
title = {{Non-traditional stable isotope measurements using laser desorption Orbitrap mass spectrometry: Implications for planetary missions}},
author = {Soumya Ray and Madeline C Raith and Zachary A Torrano and Lucas T Andrews and Ricardo D Arévalo and Adrian E Southard and Ryan M Danell and Laurent Thirkell and Fabrice Colin and Christelle Briois},
journal = {International Journal of Mass Spectrometry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.ijms.2026.117580},
url = {https://insu.hal.science/insu-05799836v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Non-traditional stable isotope measurements using laser desorption Orbitrap mass spectrometry: Implications for planetary missions
AU - Soumya Ray
AU - Madeline C Raith
AU - Zachary A Torrano
AU - Lucas T Andrews
AU - Ricardo D Arévalo
AU - Adrian E Southard
AU - Ryan M Danell
AU - Laurent Thirkell
AU - Fabrice Colin
AU - Christelle Briois
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - International Journal of Mass Spectrometry
DO - 10.1016/j.ijms.2026.117580
UR - https://insu.hal.science/insu-05799836v1
AB - Isotopic fractionation recorded in planetary materials provides insights into physical, chemical, and/or potential biological processes occurring on Solar System bodies. As we enter into the next decades of planetary exploration, the crucial information revealed by isotopic compositions of rocky and icy samples mandates that next generation spaceflight instrumentation possess the capability to measure isotope ratios in situ with sufficient precision/accuracy to distinguish between such processes. In addition to identifying and fingerprinting complex organic materials with high accuracy and ultrahigh mass resolutions, laser desorption Orbitrap™ mass spectrometry (LD-O-MS) has the capability to determine the elemental and isotopic composition of solid planetary materials such as rock, regolith, organics, ice, etc. Here, we use a space-qualified LD-O-MS instrument comprising a 266 nm ultraviolet (UV) laser and Orbitrap mass analyzer ruggedized for planetary applications to investigate the stable isotopic composition of Ti and Zn metal plates. Based on the isotopic analyses, we constrain the performance of the CORALS instrument to sub per mille (‰) level accuracy and precision for Ti and at the per mille (‰) level for Zn. An LD-O-MS instrument is a versatile instrument capable of measuring the isotopic composition of a variety of planetary samples and would constitute a critical instrument in the exploration of various planetary bodies including but not limited to the Moon, Mars, Enceladus and other ocean or icy worlds, Ceres and other asteroids, and comets, thereby answering several high-priority questions pertaining to the formation and evolution of our Solar System.
SN - 9036-757X
SN - 1873-2798
ER -