Periodic Reporting for period 2 - METAL (Making Terrestrial Planets)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-04-01 bis 2024-09-30
Our project aims to shed light on the origin of volatile components in the Earth, and more broadly, on the processes that led to the formation of terrestrial planets. This is a fundamental question that has significant implications for understanding the origins of life and the evolution of the solar system. To achieve our goal, we employ a unique and innovative approach that combines cutting-edge high-precision isotopic measurements of volatile metals, such as indium, zinc, copper, and antimony, in both natural and synthetic high-pressure and high-temperature samples.
We use synthetic samples to determine isotopic fractionation during metal/silicate fractionation and volatilization, which we create using a newly developed levitation furnace and piston cylinder apparatus. This information helps us interpret the results of isotopic measurements in natural rock samples and test whether volatile element abundance is controlled by metal/silicate differentiation, evaporation, or late accretion. Additionally, we quantify the physical conditions and the amount of volatile loss by volatilization, which is used in our dynamical modeling.
We also study highly-siderophile elements, which partition fully into metal during planetary differentiation, to trace the timing and extent of late arrival of materials on Earth and Mars. Through these efforts, we hope to develop a realistic physical mechanism of volatile loss from differentiated asteroids, planetesimals, and larger terrestrial bodies, such as the Moon or Earth. Our project combines experimental simulations of planet formation, theoretical modeling, and novel high-precision analyses of extra-terrestrial samples, making significant advances in our understanding of the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets.
We use synthetic samples to determine isotopic fractionation during metal/silicate fractionation and volatilization, which we create using a newly developed levitation furnace and piston cylinder apparatus. This information helps us interpret the results of isotopic measurements in natural rock samples and test whether volatile element abundance is controlled by metal/silicate differentiation, evaporation, or late accretion. Additionally, we quantify the physical conditions and the amount of volatile loss by volatilization, which is used in our dynamical modeling.
We also study highly-siderophile elements, which partition fully into metal during planetary differentiation, to trace the timing and extent of late arrival of materials on Earth and Mars. Through these efforts, we hope to develop a realistic physical mechanism of volatile loss from differentiated asteroids, planetesimals, and larger terrestrial bodies, such as the Moon or Earth. Our project combines experimental simulations of planet formation, theoretical modeling, and novel high-precision analyses of extra-terrestrial samples, making significant advances in our understanding of the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets.
Our project is focused on developing new high-precision isotopic systems to study precious extra-terrestrial samples. In the first years of the project, we have made significant progress in this area. Specifically, we have implemented high-precision isotopic measurements of Indium and rubidium and improved our K isotopic measurement using our new mass-spectrometer. We have applied these techniques to study volatile depleted asteroids and have demonstrated that most volatiles were lost during a magma ocean stage in the early stages of planet formation. These discoveries were published in a serie of papers in NAture Communications, PNAS, and Science Advances, and represent major breakthrough in our understanding of planetary formation.
Furthermore, we have discovered the first evidence of Zn isotopic anomalies in solar system materials. This discovery has significant implications for the study of the origin of volatile elements in planets. Specifically, we have shown that the Earth must have received over 30% of its Zinc budget from outer solar system materials. This finding provides new insights into the processes that govern the formation of terrestrial planets and their volatile content. We have also applied this to sample returned by the asteroid Ryugu. This work was published in papers in ICarus, Nature Astronomy and EPSL.
We were also involved in the analyses of samples returned from asteroid Ryugu by the space mission Hayabusa2, for which we analyzed Rb, K, Ca, Zn and Cu isotopes. We defined the Solar System composition for these elements, discuss the processes occuring at the surface of the asteroid (fluid circulation, dehydration, evaporation). These results were published in over 10 papers, including papers in Science, Science Advances, NAture Astronomy.
Furthermore, we have discovered the first evidence of Zn isotopic anomalies in solar system materials. This discovery has significant implications for the study of the origin of volatile elements in planets. Specifically, we have shown that the Earth must have received over 30% of its Zinc budget from outer solar system materials. This finding provides new insights into the processes that govern the formation of terrestrial planets and their volatile content. We have also applied this to sample returned by the asteroid Ryugu. This work was published in papers in ICarus, Nature Astronomy and EPSL.
We were also involved in the analyses of samples returned from asteroid Ryugu by the space mission Hayabusa2, for which we analyzed Rb, K, Ca, Zn and Cu isotopes. We defined the Solar System composition for these elements, discuss the processes occuring at the surface of the asteroid (fluid circulation, dehydration, evaporation). These results were published in over 10 papers, including papers in Science, Science Advances, NAture Astronomy.
Our project has made significant strides in advancing the field of isotopic measurements for understanding planetary formation. Our team has successfully developed and implemented cutting-edge isotopic methods, including the high-precision measurement of Indium and a more sensitive K isotopic method than previously available. These breakthroughs have allowed us to obtain high-precision data even from very small samples, which has opened up new avenues of research. For instance, we can now measure individual minerals or micro-drill small minerals, which was not possible with previous methods. These advances have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of planetary formation and the origin of volatile elements in terrestrial planets.