ORBION detects and quantifies thousands of chemicals in ambient air, delivering an order‑of‑magnitude improvement in sensitivity and resolution over leading sensors.
Karsa, University of Helsinki spin-off founded in 2016, develops advanced tools for real-time molecular analysis of air. With ORBION, researchers can track thousands of airborne molecules simultaneously and follow how they transform into particles that affect cloud formation, air quality, and climate.
“At CLOUD, we routinely investigate the interplay of hundreds to thousands of air molecules,” said doctor Xu‑Cheng He, co‑PI at CLOUD experiment and Academy Research Fellow at INAR, University of Helsinki. “ORBION’s breadth and streamlined analysis pipeline will enable us to map those interactions more completely and much faster than before.”
“At CERN, our work with INAR and Karsa is a joint research activity. And it’s not only a chance to gain new scientific insights but also an opportunity to showcase the breakthrough technology that was developed here in Helsinki to the broad international research community,” said professor Tuukka Petäjä, INAR, University of Helsinki.
“ORBION is the culmination of years spent building a universal detector without sacrificing precision for coverage and making it rugged enough for continuous, autonomous operation,” said Aleksei Shcherbinin, Chief Product Officer at Karsa Oy.
Understanding atmospheric processes more completely
ORBION allows researchers to measure a broad range of atmospheric compounds in real time, providing simultaneous data across chemical families. This makes it possible to observe how trace gases nucleate and evolve into particles under controlled conditions at CLOUD and beyond. Such datasets help clarify key processes behind cloud formation, improve the representation of aerosols in climate models, and open new possibilities for studying air quality in different environments.
Karsa Oy has worked closely with INAR researchers since its founding. The deployment of ORBION at CLOUD reflects years of joint development bridging university research and industrial innovation. The project has been supported by Business Finland, which promotes Finnish deep-tech innovation.
Contact
Tuukka Petäjä, INAR
tuukka.petaja@helsinki.fi +358 50 41 55 278
HJ Jost, CEO, Karsa Oy
hj.jost@karsa.fi +358 45 699 5005
Xu-Cheng He, INAR
xucheng.he@helsinki.fi +358 29 41 50 284