Related papers: Micro Cold Traps on the Moon
The increasing focus on lunar exploration requires innovative power solutions to support scientific research, mining, and habitation in the Moon's extreme environment. Optical power beaming (OPB) has emerged as a promising alternative to…
The fast evaporative cooling of micrometer-sized water droplets in vacuum offers the appealing possibility to investigate supercooled water - below the melting point but still a liquid - at temperatures far beyond the state-of-the-art.…
Recent papers by Ansari et al. (2024, Science Advances 10, eadn4650) and Richardson et al. (2025, arXiv eprint 2504.01455) have suggested that global warming of the Martian surface ('terraforming') by 35 K to sustain local habitats above…
We have investigated the formation of 10-50 mm long ``ice spikes'' that sometimes appear on the free surface of water when it solidifies. By freezing water under different conditions, we measured the probability of ice spike formation as a…
We assess local-time variations of epithermal-neutron count rates measured by the Lunar Prospector Neutron Spectrometer. We investigate the nature of these variations and find no evidence to support the idea that such variations are caused…
Our understanding of the surface porosity of icy moons and its evolution with depth remains limited, including the precise scale at which ice compaction occurs under self-weight pressure. This parameter is of crucial interest for the…
Because of lunar librations, the retroreflectors left on the moon do not, in general, face directly at the Earth. Usually this is regarded as a disadvantage. It results in a spread of arrival times, because each cube that comprises the…
Thermal (<1 eV) electron density measurements, derived from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution's (MAVEN) Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW) instrument, are analyzed to produce the first statistical study of the thermal electron…
Sedimentary deposits characterized by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover provide evidence that Gale crater, Mars intermittently hosted a fluvio-lacustrine environment during the Hesperian. However, estimates of the CO2 content of…
We follow Paper I with predictions of how gas leaking through the lunar surface could influence the regolith, as might be observed via optical Transient Lunar Phenomena (TLPs) and related effects. We touch on several processes, but…
Lunar laser ranging (LLR) data and Apollo seismic data analyses, revealed independent evidence for the presence of a fluid lunar core. However, the size of the lunar fluid core remained uncertain by $\pm55$ km (encompassing two contrasting…
A large number of surface features (e.g., frost, gullies, slope streaks, recurring slope lineae) are observed on Martian slopes. Their activity is often associated with the specific microclimates on these slopes, which have been mostly…
Scale invariance is expected in empty Universe models, while the presence of matter tends to suppress it. As shown recently, scale invariance is certainly absent in cosmological models with densities equal to or above the critical value…
An optical microtrap is realized on a dielectric surface by crossing a tightly focused laser beam with an horizontal evanescent-wave atom mirror. The nondissipative trap is loaded with $\sim$$10^5$ cesium atoms through elastic collisions…
We have demonstrated that a supersonic beam of methyl radicals (CH$_3$) in the ground rotational state of both $para$ and $ortho$ species has been slowed down to standstill with a magnetic molecular decelerator, and successfully captured…
Modeling has been developed to support the development of volatile extraction technologies for the Moon, Mars, asteroids, or other bodies. This type of modeling capability is important to avoid the high cost of multiple test campaigns in…
Although tidally-locked habitable planets orbiting nearby M-dwarf stars are among the best astronomical targets to search for extrasolar life, they may also be deficient in volatiles and water. Climate models for this class of planets show…
Mars' surface bears the imprint of valley networks formed billions of years ago and their relicts can still be observed today. However, whether these networks were formed by groundwater sapping, ice melt, or fluvial runoff has been…
Terrestrial planets within the Venus zone surrounding M dwarf stars can retain surface ice caps on the perpetual dark side if atmospheric heat transport is inefficient, {as suggested by previous global climate simulations…
Surface ion traps with two-dimensional layouts of trapping regions are natural architectures for storing large numbers of ions and supporting the connectivity needed to implement quantum algorithms. Many of the components and operations…