Spectral Identification of the Precursors for Life

迄今为止，在太阳系的冰体（如卫星和彗星）上远程识别有机分子和与水有关的矿藏的最佳技术之一是红外光谱。他们的探测依赖于对光谱的解释，这些光谱是由不同大小的颗粒混合而成的，例如岩石和矿物质、灰尘、水、水和二氧化碳冰，以及许多有机物种。然而，试图在单一光谱中分离这些单独的元素是具有挑战性的，错误的分配可能导致对有机和矿物环境的误解，从而导致对行星体本身的地质历史的误解。为了解决光谱解释中的这一关键不确定性，我们将进行实地模拟研究，以确定来自一系列陆地环境的富含有机物、缺乏有机物和原始蒸发矿物的光谱标记，并进行实验模拟，为有机、冰和尘埃混合物创建红外参考光谱，最终帮助确定原位和轨道上的行星体特征。

To date one of the best techniques for the remote identification of organic molecules and water-related mineral deposits on the icy bodies of the Solar System (such as moons and comets) has been infra-red (IR) spectroscopy. Their detection has relied on interpretations of spectra which are created through and influenced by a jumbled mixture of variably sized grains of, for example, rocks and minerals, dust, water, H2O and CO2 ice, and a host of organic species. Trying to pull apart these individual elements within a single spectrum however is challenging and a wrong assignment can lead to misinterpretation of the organic and mineralogical environment, and ergo the geological history of the planetary bodies themselves. To address this critical uncertainty in spectral interpretations, we will conduct field analogue research to identify spectral markers for organic-rich, organic-poor and pristine evaporitic minerals from a range of terrestrial environments and run experimental simulations to create IR reference spectra for organic, ice and dust mixtures to ultimately aid confident characterisation of planetary bodies both in-situ and from orbit.