China's latest breakthrough in lunar sample research has been made possible by one of the most advanced scientific instruments in geoscience—the secondary ion mass spectrometer, commonly known as the ion probe.
This state-of-the-art device has been instrumental in analyzing samples collected from the far side of the moon by the country's Chang'e-6 lunar probe mission, revealing new insights into the moon's origin and evolution.
A joint research team organized by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) conducted a study of the lunar samples with the help of the ion probe, verifying the hypothesis that the moon was entirely covered by a molten "magma ocean" in the early stages after its birth.
Boasting unparalleled accuracy, the instrument revealed that the basalt present in the Chang'e-6 samples can be dated back 2.8 billion years.
The sophisticated device operates by bombarding a sample's surface with a high-energy primary ion beam, generating secondary ions. These charged particles pass through a mass analyzer before reaching the detector, enabling precise analysis of the sample's surface composition.
"This instrument, called the ion probe, is the most critical tool in our study of the Chang'e-6 samples. It enables micron-scale sample analysis and can detect nearly all elements in the periodic table. We are currently calibrating the instrument, and the ion beam diameter being displayed is in the tens of microns—roughly one-third the width of a single human hair," said Long Tao, a researcher with the Institute of Geology under the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences.
The ion probe's applications extend beyond space studies to fields such as biology, life sciences, and semiconductor research, according to Long.
"With the development of our new instrument, we hope to use it for studying samples from Chang'e-5, Chang'e-6, and asteroids to investigate the impact history within the solar system. This research could also provide clues about Earth's evolution during the same period," he said.
China's cutting-edge ion probe plays key role in lunar sample analysis
