Absorption Spectra of Silicate Cosmic Analog Dusts Obtained with a Custom-Made Spectrometer

Much of the cosmic dust that makes up our universe is expected to be in the form of submicron-sized, amorphous, metal containing silicates. We are able to synthesize analogs of this dust in our labs using the sol-gel processes. These dust grains are embedded in low density polyethylene pellets, for practical use in our equipment. By passing light from a calibrated blackbody source into a homemade Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) and then through the dust pellets, we are able to obtain data. Our custom instrument measures absorption spectra in the range 150-2400GHz. The data collected on Fe- and Mg-silicate dusts has been found to follow a power law trend, with the frequency range being 150-1500GHz. This trend also varies with the temperature of the dust, which we are able to vary within the astronomically relevant temperatures of 5-50K