Investigation of Dust Grains by Optical Tweezers for Space Applications

Cosmic dust plays a dominant role in the universe, especially in the formation of stars and planetary systems. Furthermore, the surface of cosmic dust grains is the benchwork where molecular hydrogen and simple organic compounds are formed. We manipulate individual dust particles in a water solution by contactless and noninvasive techniques such as standard optical and Raman tweezers, to characterize their response to mechanical effects of light (optical forces and torques) and to determine their mineral compositions. Moreover, we show accurate optical force calculations in the T-matrix formalism highlighting the key role of composition and complex morphology in the optical trapping of cosmic dust particles. This opens perspectives for future applications of optical tweezers in curation facilities for sample-return missions or in extraterrestrial environments.