VIS-IR spectroscopy of magnesium chlorides at cryogenic temperatures

Chlorinated compounds have been recently identified or suggested to exist in a number of planetary bodies such as Ceres, Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus and Mars, on the basis of remote sensing and in-situ measurements as well as Earth-based telescopic observations. Sodium and magnesium-bearing chlorinated compounds with different levels of hydration have been suggested to reach the surface of these bodies through ascending flows from the interior; thus, such materials could be geochemically related to the putative presence of subsurface liquid reservoirs and could bring precious information about those layers' salty composition. Laboratory spectroscopic data of chlorinated salts carried out at temperatures representative of real planetary bodies, fundamental to correctly interpret the observational data, are currently missing or incomplete.