Partners
- Università di Pisa, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Italia.
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) -Istituto Processi Chimico-Fisici (IPCF), Italia, Messina; Partner coordinator and co-P.I.: Onofrio Maragò.
- Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope”, Dip. Scienze e Tecnologie, Italia. Partner coordinator: Alessandra Rotundi.
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italia. Partner coordinator: John Robert Brucato.
Duration: September 28th, 2023 to February 27th 2026 (2 years and 5 months)
Budget: 245.970,00 €
ERC field: PE9_ Physical Sciences and Engineering
ERC subfields: PE9_2 Solar System Science; PE9_4 Astrobiology; PE12 Optics, Non-linear and nano-optics
Keywords: Interplanetary dust, Asteroids, comets, cosmochemistry, optical trapping, acoustic trapping
Other UniPisa participants: Samuele Ottaviani
Scope – Cosmic Dust II aims to: 1) Perform systematic analysis of unique collections of small (down to 400nm) interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and large (up to 3mm) micrometeorites (MMs) to bridge gaps in our knowledge of the composition of the inner Solar System interplanetary dust complex, which depends on particle size; 2) Develop novel photonic-acoustic tools for the contactless, non-invasive analysis of particulate matter, as required for the detection of extraterrestrial organics and biosignatures in cosmic dust.
The gaps in our knowledge of the composition of the inner Solar System interplanetary dust complex will be filled by the cosmochemical analysis of the DUSTER IDP and TAM MM collections. The DUSTER collection uniquely contains IDPs in the 400–2000nm size range, with an expected abundance of materials from the most primitive bodies in the Solar System, unaltered by atmospheric entry and thus with great astrobiologic interest. Extrasolar grains could be an extraordinary addition to the inventory. The TAM MM collection is known to sample the MM flux to Earth over the last 1-2 million years and so uniquely contains MMs in the 700–3000µm size range, with an expected abundance of materials from more evolved and possibly differentiated bodies in the Solar System of great geologic interest.
Working with small particles potentially carrying extraterrestrial organic components like those from the DUSTER collection poses the analytical challenge of maximizing the scientific return from the analysis of tiny and precious particles minimizing contamination. For this reason, we will also test novel optical and acoustic tweezer technologies for the contactless and non-invasive analysis of particulate matter, as required for the detection of extraterrestrial organics and biosignatures in cosmic dust. Space Tweezers, an instrument under development in our laboratories, could be the solution. Based on highly focused laser beams, optical tweezers are novel tools enabling contactless, non-invasive trapping and manipulation of particulate matter in the IDP size range in different media including liquids, air and vacuum. Coupled with Raman spectrometers, optical tweezers allow high-resolution (i.e., no background noise from substrate) spectroscopic analysis of the physio-chemical properties of dust grains. Although widely and successfully used in a variety of research fields in recent years, their application in space science is in its infancy but is developing quickly.
Papers published in international journals with IF:
Caicedo K., Recalde N., Mora M., Moreta A., Iatì M. A., Maragò O. M., Infusino M. and Veltri A. (2025). Mode-dependent emission thresholds and frequencies in metal nanoparticles within gain-enhanced media. Physical Review B, 112(19), p.195412. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jpp3-p5dp
Ciarlo A., Ciriza D. B., Selin M., Maragò O. M., Sasso A., Pesce G., Volpe G. and Goksör M. (2024) Deep learning for optical tweezers. Nanophotonics, 13(17), 3017-3035. https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2024-0013
Ferretti S., Marrara S., Ciriza D. B., Magazzù A., Foti A., Gucciardi P.G., Musolino A., Folco L., Della Corte V., Rotundi A. Saija R., Mandanici A., Maragò O.M., and Donato M.G. (2024) Contactless manipulation and raman analysis of cometary analogs and micrometeorites by acoustic levitation. The Astrophysical Journal, 974(2), 287. DOI 10.3847/1538-4357/ad7259
Khoshzaban A., Magazzú A., Donato M.G., Maragò O.M., Unlu M.B., Cizmeciyan M.N. and Elahi, P. (2025). Dynamics of Pulsed-Laser Interaction with Janus Particles. ACS photonics, 12(4), 1936-1943. DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.4c02388
Magazzu A., Bronte Ciriza D., Musolino A., Ferretti S., Marrara S., Mandanici A., Donato M. G., Foti A., Gucciardi P. G., Iati M. A., Saija R., Della Corte V., Jimenez Escobar A., Cecchi-Pestellini C., Ciaravella A., Rotundi A., Folco L., Maragò O. M. (2024). Spectroscopy of cosmic dust by ”space tweezers”, a review, Memorie della Società Astronomica Italiana 95 (4), 77. DOI: 10.36116/MEMSAIT_95N4.2024.77
Magazzù A., Kasianiuk I., Kasyanyuk D., Callegari A., Volpe G., Maragò O.M. and Biancofiore L. (2025) Optical levitation of Janus particles within focused cylindrical vector beams. Nanophotonics, 14(23), 4113-4124. https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2024-0774
Rezaei S., Ciriza D. B., Hassanzadeh A., Kheirandish F., Gucciardi P.G., Maragò O.M., Saija R., Iati M.A. (2024) Faster calculations of optical trapping using neural networks trained by T-Matrix data: An application to micro-and nanoplastics. ACS Photonics, 11(8), 3424-3432. DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.4c01008
Tonietti L. (2025) Thermodynamic Assessment of Prebiotic Molecule Formation Pathways on Comets. Universe 11(10),349. https://doi.org/10.3390/universe11100349 (Ernesto Capocci Prize, best paper for the Solar System Research 2025)
van Ginneken M., Wozniakiewicz P.J., Brownlee D.E., Debaille V., Della Corte V., Delauche L., Duprat J., Engrand C., Folco L., Fries M., Gattacceca J., Genge M.J., Goderis S., Gounelle M., Harvey R.P., Jonker G., Krämer Ruggiu L., Larsen J., Lever J.H., Noguchi T., Peterson S., Rochette P., Rojas J., Rotundi A., Rudraswami N.G., Suttle M.D., Taylor S, Van Maldeghem F., Zolensky M. (2024) Micrometeorite collections: a review and their current status. Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society A 382, 20230195 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2023.0195
Van Ginneken M., Goderis S., Genge M. J., Jonker G., Maeda R., Wozniakiewicz P. J., Folco L., Suttle M. D., Franchi I. A., Zhao X., Yamaguchi A., Decrée S. (2026) 16O poor cosmic spherules from near-Earth CY chondrite asteroids. Science Advances. Ms# aed6340 (accepted 2026, May 2nd).
Van Maldeghem F., Maeda R., Soens B., Suttle M.D., Ruggiu L.K., Cordier C., Yamaguchi A., Schmitz B., Claeys P., Folco L., Goderis S. (2024) Chrome-rich spinels in micrometeorites from modern Antarctic sedimentary deposits. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 641, 118837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118837
Zahnow F., Suttle M.D., Lazarov M., Weyer S., Di Rocco T., Folco L., Pack A. (2025) Traces of the oxygen isotope composition of ancient air in fossilized cosmic dust. Communications Earth & Environment | (2025) 6:577. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02541-5
Papers under review in international journals with IF
Donato M.G., Hinczewski M., Letsou T., ElKabbash M., Saija R., Gucciardi P. G., Engheta N., Strangi G. and Maragò O. M. (2026). Observation of Light-Driven Levitation Near Epsilon-Near-Zero Surfaces. arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.10425. (Submitted 2026)
Ottaviani S., Folco L., Suttle M. D., Repič R., Mancini L., Battiston T., Iannini Lelarge S., Masotta M. (2026) Cosmic Dust Flux During the Quaternary: The Record of Large Scoriaceous and Unmelted Micrometeorites from the Transantarctic Mountains Collection. Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets. Ms# 2026JE009650 (under review).
Papers presented at national and international conferences and workshop
Della Corte V., Rotundi A. Cozzolino F., Mennella V., Fiscale S., Piccirillo A. M., Muscari Tomajoli M. T., Tonietti L., Ferone A. DUSTER XS a lightweight sampling system able to collect aerosols in stratosphere. 45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 13-21 July 2024. Busan, Korea.
Folco L., Maragò O. M., Rotundi A., Brucato J. R. (2024) Cosmic Dust II (PRIN2022 project): cosmochemistry and space tweezers technologies for solar system science and exploration. XIX Congresso di Scienze Planetarie (SISP-AC). Bormio (February 5–9, 2024) Italy.
Infusino M., Brucato J. R., Folco L., Rotundi A., Iatì M. A., Foti A., Gucciardi P. G., Mandanici A., Maragò O. M., Donato M. G. (2025) Acoustic and optical Raman tweezers as a tool to manipulate and analize Mars analogues, ELSXXI, Milazzo, Italy 23-27 June 2025.
Infusino M., Brucato J. R., Folco L., Rotundi A., Iatì M. A., Foti A., Gucciardi P. G., Mandanici A., Maragò O. M., Donato M. G. (2025). Raman tweezers as a tool for astrobiology, VIII Congresso della Società Italiana di Astrobiologia, Messina, Italy June 11-13 2025.
Infusino M., Caicedo K., Iatí M.A., Maragó O. M., Donato M. G., Veltri A. (2025). Optical Tweezers: A Powerful And Versatile Micro- And Nano Manipulation Tool With Applications From Space To Spaser. META 2025, Malaga, Spain, July 22-25, 2025.
Magazzù A., Bernatová S., Infusino M., Veltri A., Donato M. G., Foti A., Iatì M. A., Gucciardi P. G., Maragò O. M. (2025). Optical tweezers for environmental and space applications, PIERS 2025, Chiba, Japan, November 5-9 (Invited)
Maragò O. M., Veltri A., Infusino M., Saija R., Iatì M. A. (2025) Laser cooling of hybrid nanoparticles, META 2025, Malaga, Spain, July 22-25, 2025.
Maragò O.M. (2024). Optical forces for environmental and space applications, NANOPLASM 2024, Cetraro, Italy, June 17-21 (Invited)
Ottaviani S., Folco L., Suttle M. D., Repič R., Mancini L., Battiston T., Iannini Lelarge S., Masotta M. (2025) Cosmic Dust Flux During the Quaternary: The Record of Large Scoriaceous and Unmelted Micrometeorites from the Transantarctic Mountains Collection. 87th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society 2025 (LPI Contrib. No. 3088).
Ottaviani S., Folco L., Suttle M. D., Repič R., Mancini L., Battiston T., Iannini Lelarge S., Masotta M. (2025) Cosmic Dust Flux During the Quaternary: The Record of Large Scoriaceous and Unmelted Micrometeorites from the Transantarctic Mountains Collection. SIMP-SGI, Padova (September 16-18, 2025), Italy.
Ottaviani S., Folco L., Suttle M. D., Repič R., Mancini L., Battiston T., Iannini Lelarge S., Masotta M. (2025) Cosmic Dust Flux During the Quaternary: The Record of Large Scoriaceous and Unmelted Micrometeorites from the Transantarctic Mountains Collection. XIX Congresso di Scienze Planetarie (SISP-AC), Reggio Emilia (February 2-6, 2026), Italy.
Rotundi A., Della Corte V., Cozzolino F., Mennella V., Bertini I., Inno L., Dionnet Z., Fiscale S., Muscari Tomajoli M.T., Piccirillo A.M., Popa C., Santomartino R., Tonietti L., Brucato J.R., Folco L., O. Maragò, Laboratory Investigation of Extra-Terrestrial Dust in the micron-sub-micron range collected by DUSTER in the Upper Stratosphere. 45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 13-21 July 2024., Busan, Korea.
Tonietti L., Della Corte V., Rotundi A., Dionnet Z., Folco L., Maragò O., Foti A., Infusino M., Magazzù A., Brucato J.R., Bertini I., Inno L., Stefani S., Rubino S., Boriello R., Piccioni G., Suttle M.D., Davies F., Ottaviani S., Cozzolino F., Mennella V., Uncontaminated Comic Dust from the Upper Stratosphere: DUSTER collections and Multi-Analytical Characterization of micron- and sub-micron Particles. XIX Congresso Nazionale di Scienze Planetarie (SISP-AC), Reggio Emilia (February 2-6 2026)., Italy.
Tonietti L., Della Corte V., Rotundi A., Dionnet Z., Folco L., Maragò O., Foti A., Infusino M., Magazzù A., Brucato J.R. and Bertini I. (2025) Uncontaminated Cosmic Dust from the Upper Stratosphere: DUSTER Collections and Multi-Analytical Characterization of micron and sub-micron particles (No. EPSC-DPS2025-1032). Copernicus Meetings.
Academic and Public seminars
International Asteroid Day 2025. Seminar. “Ryugu – An Asteroid in the Laboratory. The JAXA – Haybusa2 Sample Return mission” by Luigi Folco. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, 30.6.2025.
Pisa Bright Night 2025. Public display. “Meteorites and micrometeorites”. by Samuele Ottaviani. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, 29.09.2025.
Festival Cosmos 2025, Laboratori didattici dell’IPCF “Cosmos eXperience”, Reggio Calabria 8-12 Ottobre 2025. Activities with acoustic levitators and posters on cosmic dust and astrobiology.
Festival Cosmos 2024, Laboratori didattici dell’IPCF “Cosmos eXperience”, Reggio Calabria 10-13 Ottobre 2024. Activities with acoustic levitators and posters on cosmic dust and astrobiology.
Notte Europea dei Ricercatori, 26 Settembre 2025. Outreach activities for DUSTER by Luca Tonietti.
Intervento “Radio Missione Francescana” Varese, Febbraio 2026. Outreach DUSTER by Luca Tonietti.
Scuola Elementare Ferrini, Roma. 28 Gennaio 2026. by Alessandra Rotundi
Alternanza Scuola/Lavoro, Reggio Calabria. 20 Febbraio 2026 by Alessandra Rotundi & Luca Tonietti.
Invited Talk Planetario di Milano. 23 Aprile 2026. DUSTER and Space Missions by Luca Tonietti.
Project progress meetings with academic attendance
Cosmic Dust II kickoff meeting. Teleconference. 28.09.2023.
Cosmic Dust II progress meeting. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, 23.01.2024.
Cosmic Dust II progress meeting. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto di Processi Chimico-Fisici Messina, 29.10.2024.
Cosmic Dust II progress meeting. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto di Processi Chimico-Fisici Messina, 28.03.2025.
Cosmic Dust II closing meeting. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, 21.01.2026.
Schools
ZEISS on your Campus Workshop. Below the surface. Understanding fundamental processes that shape the Universe. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra and Centro per la Integrazione della Strumentazione dell’Università di Pisa (May 14 –15, 2025), Italy. L. Folco: organizer, speaker.
Formazione Scuola-Lavoro with Liceo Scientifico “L. Da Vinci”, Reggio Calabria. Several activities have been organized involving several classes. In particular, three acoustic levitators were used for a lab activity where students trapped several particles including Etna ashes, micrometeorites and analogs. They also had to use calibration polystyrol particles to measure the ultrasonic frequency of the levitator acoustic transducers. Moreover, Alessandra Rotundi, Luca Tonietti and Onofrio M. Maragò presented topics related to the project, from cosmic dust and astrobiology to space tweezers.
Participation in the Planetology, Exploration, Terrestrial Analogs, Robotics, Astrobiology, Spectroscopy (PETRAS25) Summer School – Vulcano (Aeolian Islands, Milazzo, Italy), June 4–12, 2025. L. Tonietti participated as an Invited Field Teacher, leading biological and mineralogical sampling activities at the La Fossa crater and the Baia di Levante hydrothermal field. In addition, a lecture was delivered on “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Side of Science”, focusing on the correct presentation and interpretation of scientific data.