Development of quartz crystal microbalance for Enceladus applications

The study of Enceladus is crucial for understanding the potential for life beyond Earth. Its subsurface ocean, active plumes, and organic-rich composition make it a prime target for astrobiology. In this context, NASA’s New Frontiers 5 mission could provide groundbreaking insights by directly sampling plume material. Investigation of Enceladus may help to answer fundamental questions about habitability in our solar system.

We present a feasibility study of quartz crystal microbalances (QCM) for an Enceladus application. Microbalances would represent a subsystem of a Dust Next Generation Sensor under study, based on the heritage of Rosetta’s GIADA [1], that would also include an Optical Stage and an Impact Sensor and Counter [2].

QCMs are dust and ice sensors that measure cumulative mass flux, by monitoring frequency variation of quartz crystals. Moreover, the occurrence of resistors built on crystals, acting as heater and temperature sensor, respectively, would allow ThermoGravimetric Analysis (TGA), a technique used on several fields, including planetary sciences [3, 4], to monitor thermodynamical processes as sublimation, desorption and frosting.

In an Enceladus mission, QCMs would:

• Measure the dust and water ice flux, e.g., from plumes;
• Measure the organic content in dust and ice particles by means of TGA;
• Assess contamination issues, by cooling crystals and allowing deposition of contaminants.

Currently, we are selecting the best QCM configuration, basing on current heritage, such as VISTA/Hera [2] and high-temperature microbalance [3]. The configuration will be mainly based on temperature range needed to perform TGA in the Enceladus environment, Moreover, the effect of radiation dose on crystal performances is under study.

Once identified scientific and technical requirements, a breadboarding and test phase will take place.

 

[1] Colangeli, L. et al. (2007), Space Science Review, 128, 1-4, 803-821

[2] Della Corte, V. et al. (2025), EPSC, this session

[3] Palomba, E. et al. (2025), EPSC, session MITM18

[4] Longobardo, A. et al. (2024), Italian Congress of Planetary Science

 

Acknowledgement: This work has been funded by the ASI-INAF agreement N. 2024-19-HH.0