New magnetometric devices for planetary exploration

Abstract

In this paper we describe the development of devices devoted to the characterization of the magnetic complex susceptibility of materials and minerals. The work is focused on the evolution, calibration and validation of the prototypes foreseen in H2020 NEWTON project, a magnetic susceptometer for the in-situ characterization of rocks during high resolution magnetic prospections, with characteristics compatible with space vehicles and hand-held instrumentation. The instrument consists of a novel susceptometer design based on an inductive method and a COTS magnetometer for the vector magnetic field characterization. The calibration and validation process for Prototype 1 casted very good results in comparison with other commercial and high resolution laboratory devices, reaching a resolution in the order of χ = 10 - 4 (I.S. Vol. Susceptibility), representative of Earth, Moon and Mars rocks.