Abstract: Systems and methods for supporting a liquid against a vacuum pressure in a chamber can enable analysis of the liquid surface using vacuum-based chemical analysis instruments. No electrical or fluid connections are required to pass through the chamber walls. The systems can include a reservoir, a pump, and a liquid flow path. The reservoir contains a liquid-phase sample. The pump drives flow of the sample from the reservoir, through the liquid flow path, and back to the reservoir. The flow of the sample is not substantially driven by a differential between pressures inside and outside of the liquid flow path. An aperture in the liquid flow path exposes a stable portion of the liquid-phase sample to the vacuum pressure within the chamber. The radius, or size, of the aperture is less than or equal to a critical value required to support a meniscus of the liquid-phase sample by surface tension.

Abstract: Systems and methods for supporting a liquid against a vacuum pressure in a chamber can enable analysis of the liquid surface using vacuum-based chemical analysis instruments. No electrical or fluid connections are required to pass through the chamber walls. The systems can include a reservoir, a pump, and a liquid flow path. The reservoir contains a liquid-phase sample. The pump drives flow of the sample from the reservoir, through the liquid flow path, and back to the reservoir. The flow of the sample is not substantially driven by a differential between pressures inside and outside of the liquid flow path. An aperture in the liquid flow path exposes a stable portion of the liquid-phase sample to the vacuum pressure within the chamber. The radius, or size, of the aperture is less than or equal to a critical value required to support a meniscus of the liquid-phase sample by surface tension.

Abstract: Systems and devices for collecting time and space resolved air samples are disclosed. In some embodiments, the systems and devices include the following: a housing including an air inlet; a pump positioned to draw air from outside the sampler and into the housing; electronically controllable valves positioned within the housing for receiving air from the pump; air sampling filters for receiving air from the valves; a printed circuit board including a microcomputer, a global positioning satellite tracking device, and programmable memory, the microcomputer being configured to control the valves to allow air to flow to particular air sampling filters to collect an air sample, the microcomputer being configured to record time data and positioning data from the global positioning satellite tracking device simultaneous to collecting the air sample, the data being stored in the programmable memory; and a power source to provide power for the sampler.