Laboratory studies of organics with Cosmorbitrap, a new HRMS analyser, in the framework of future missions to Titan and other organic worlds

Abstract

International audienceThe Cosmorbitrap is a development of a space mass analyzer, based on the OrbitrapTM technology. In the context of Titan future exploration, we have addressed two important questions using it: first, to show that the instrument was able to identify the structure of complex organic molecules, then to characterize the evolution of the instrument performances when increasing the background pressure as it can be critical when exploring Titan's dense atmosphere. These questions are relevant in the framework of a future space exploration of an organic world like Titan environment