KEVIon: An Ion Irradiation Facility for Transformative Research in Space Science at the University of Virginia

The KiloElectron Volt Ion (KEVIon) irradiation facility for space science — a new NASA Planetary Science Enabling Facility — is under development within the Laboratory for Astrophysics and Surface Physics at the University of Virginia (LASP-UVa). This user-focused facility is comprised of four integrated components: (1) multiple ion sources including a low energy ion gun (< 5 keV), a medium energy light ion accelerator (< 50 keV), and a Pelletron ion accelerator (< 300 keV) to provide positive atomic or molecular ions over a wide range of species, charges, and energies; (2) a novel ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) chamber called "GRAINS" that integrates X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, mass spectrometry, medium-energy ion scattering, hyperspectral imaging, surface charge measurement, and more for holistic studies of mineralogical samples and other materials; (3) an established cryogenic UHV chamber, named "ICE", for studies involving irradiation, temperature-programmed desorption, and mass spectrometry of condensed gas targets; and (4) a user-configurable UHV chamber called "TEST" for instrument testing, calibration, and prototyping. KEVIon is expected to facilitate transformative research in space weathering, radiolysis, radiosynthesis, sputtering, radiation damage, surface charging, and instrument development/response testing. A variety of experimental results obtained using KEVIon instrumentation will be presented and discussed to showcase the capabilities of the new facility.

KEVIon is accessible to researchers either in-person—contingent upon required safety and instrument training—or remotely as a pay-for-services facility. A full-time instrument scientist is available to assist with experiment planning, instrument operation, instrument training, data acquisition, and data analysis. Nominal hourly rates for academic, industrial, and government-affiliated users are provided on the KEVIon website at https://engineering.virginia.edu/kevion, along with details about facility instrumentation and analytical techniques. For more information or to schedule a consultation, please email Cathy Dukes (PI) at cdukes@virginia.edu, or Adam Woodson (Instrument Scientist) at akw8r@virginia.edu.

Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the NASA PSEF program for making this facility possible through award 80NSSC23K0200.