Periodic Reporting for period 3 - PICKLE (Planetary Interiors Constrained by Key Laboratory Experiments)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2020-10-01 do 2022-03-31
The knowledge of interiors of rocky planets of our solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) is important for understanding their formation, present state, and evolution. The comprehension of differences and similarities in the internal constitution and processes will shed a new light on the origin and evolution of the solar system.
Space missions are invaluable to this planetary quest. Yet, only geodesy data so far provided constraints on planetary deep interiors. Seismic observations on planetary bodies other than Earth are limited to the Apollo records for the Moon. The InSight NASA Discovery Program mission to Mars successfully landed on November 26th 2018, and since winter 2019 is monitoring global seismic activity. Following the successful Apollo program, InSight is the first extra-terrestrial seismology mission to probe the interior of a telluric planet other than Earth.
However, the interpretation and full exploitation of observations, be these geodesy or seismic data, to produce accurate models of planetary structure and dynamics (internal convection and magnetic field generation) is critically limited by the lack of knowledge of key physical parameters of pertinent materials at relevant pressures and temperatures.
Thus the ERC-funded project PICKLE aims at developing techniques and methodologies, combining innovative laboratory and synchrotron measurements, to acquire much-needed physical properties of planetary forming materials at high pressure and high temperature. I propose to measure sound velocities and acoustic attenuation of minerals and aggregates making the mantle of telluric planets, as well as the phase diagram and melting curves of iron alloys forming their core. I will implement novel approaches to provide unprecedented determination of thermo-elastic properties of liquid iron alloys at pressure and temperature conditions directly relevant to the core of Mercury and Mars. Such information will be integrated together with geophysical data to infer new planetary models.
This interdisciplinary project will contribute to understand the processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system, addressing fundamental questions related to their past and present dynamics.
Space missions are invaluable to this planetary quest. Yet, only geodesy data so far provided constraints on planetary deep interiors. Seismic observations on planetary bodies other than Earth are limited to the Apollo records for the Moon. The InSight NASA Discovery Program mission to Mars successfully landed on November 26th 2018, and since winter 2019 is monitoring global seismic activity. Following the successful Apollo program, InSight is the first extra-terrestrial seismology mission to probe the interior of a telluric planet other than Earth.
However, the interpretation and full exploitation of observations, be these geodesy or seismic data, to produce accurate models of planetary structure and dynamics (internal convection and magnetic field generation) is critically limited by the lack of knowledge of key physical parameters of pertinent materials at relevant pressures and temperatures.
Thus the ERC-funded project PICKLE aims at developing techniques and methodologies, combining innovative laboratory and synchrotron measurements, to acquire much-needed physical properties of planetary forming materials at high pressure and high temperature. I propose to measure sound velocities and acoustic attenuation of minerals and aggregates making the mantle of telluric planets, as well as the phase diagram and melting curves of iron alloys forming their core. I will implement novel approaches to provide unprecedented determination of thermo-elastic properties of liquid iron alloys at pressure and temperature conditions directly relevant to the core of Mercury and Mars. Such information will be integrated together with geophysical data to infer new planetary models.
This interdisciplinary project will contribute to understand the processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system, addressing fundamental questions related to their past and present dynamics.
As planned, most of time and efforts have been dedicated to the technical developments and optimization of the measurements strategy.
We have almost finalized the construction of an experimental setup, unique in the word, which combines femtosecond laser pump-probe techniques, with resistively heated and laser heated diamond anvil cell. The developed instrument is proven capable of probing the acoustic properties of materials over a very large pressure range, up to millions time the atmospheric pressures. Once coupled with a double-side laser heating, temperatures as high as 4000 degrees can be generate. We will thus be able to probe the acoustic properties of planetary forming materials at the pressure and temperature conditions existing in their deep interiors.
Multi-anvil press setup was optimized thanks to the use of newly developed materials in order to retain liquids at high pressure and high temperature conditions, minimizing the risk of chemical reaction, but as well minimizing the contribution of the sample’s environment to the collected signal. These technological advances, together with the an improved data collection protocol, which combines angular and energy dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements, allowed to obtain data of unprecedented quality on liquid metals at the pressure and temperature conditions of the core of the Moon and Ganymede.
Multiple synchrotron campaigns for x-ray diffraction and absorption measurements at simultaneous high pressure and high temperature conditions, complemented with electron microscopy analysis of the recovered samples, have allowed to significantly advancing on the study of the phase diagrams and melting relations of the binary Fe-FeS, Fe-FeSi, Fe-FeO and Fe-Fe3C systems. Pressure-volume and pressure-volume-temperature equation of states have been determined for several Fe-Si and selected Fe-Si-C solid alloys. Local structure, density and thermo-elastic parameters, including thermal expansion, have been determined for liquid Fe-S and Fe-Si alloys at record pressure and temperature conditions. Analysis of data collected on liquid Fe, FeO, Fe-O and Fe-O-S alloys is in progress. The ensemble of the results obtained on the metal alloys forming the core of the telluric planet of the Solar system, at pertinent pressure and temperature conditions, will particularly improve models and current understanding of interior of Mercury and Mars.
Samples model of Martian mantle rocks have been synthesised and have been used for ultrasonic experiments capable of probing sound velocity at pressure and temperature conditions covering those of Mars’ mantle. Obtained results provide guidance for the interpretation of the seismic data collected by the InSight NASA Discovery Program mission, currently operating on Mars.
We have almost finalized the construction of an experimental setup, unique in the word, which combines femtosecond laser pump-probe techniques, with resistively heated and laser heated diamond anvil cell. The developed instrument is proven capable of probing the acoustic properties of materials over a very large pressure range, up to millions time the atmospheric pressures. Once coupled with a double-side laser heating, temperatures as high as 4000 degrees can be generate. We will thus be able to probe the acoustic properties of planetary forming materials at the pressure and temperature conditions existing in their deep interiors.
Multi-anvil press setup was optimized thanks to the use of newly developed materials in order to retain liquids at high pressure and high temperature conditions, minimizing the risk of chemical reaction, but as well minimizing the contribution of the sample’s environment to the collected signal. These technological advances, together with the an improved data collection protocol, which combines angular and energy dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements, allowed to obtain data of unprecedented quality on liquid metals at the pressure and temperature conditions of the core of the Moon and Ganymede.
Multiple synchrotron campaigns for x-ray diffraction and absorption measurements at simultaneous high pressure and high temperature conditions, complemented with electron microscopy analysis of the recovered samples, have allowed to significantly advancing on the study of the phase diagrams and melting relations of the binary Fe-FeS, Fe-FeSi, Fe-FeO and Fe-Fe3C systems. Pressure-volume and pressure-volume-temperature equation of states have been determined for several Fe-Si and selected Fe-Si-C solid alloys. Local structure, density and thermo-elastic parameters, including thermal expansion, have been determined for liquid Fe-S and Fe-Si alloys at record pressure and temperature conditions. Analysis of data collected on liquid Fe, FeO, Fe-O and Fe-O-S alloys is in progress. The ensemble of the results obtained on the metal alloys forming the core of the telluric planet of the Solar system, at pertinent pressure and temperature conditions, will particularly improve models and current understanding of interior of Mercury and Mars.
Samples model of Martian mantle rocks have been synthesised and have been used for ultrasonic experiments capable of probing sound velocity at pressure and temperature conditions covering those of Mars’ mantle. Obtained results provide guidance for the interpretation of the seismic data collected by the InSight NASA Discovery Program mission, currently operating on Mars.
This research project has a strong developmental character.
We developed a unique experimental setup that combines the use of pump-probe laser acoustic techniques together with laser heating diamond anvil cell. Such an innovative instrument allows probing acoustic echoes in samples, be these powders, single crystals, or liquids, under an unprecedentedly large pressure and temperature range, covering the conditions existing in planetary interiors.
We performed the first sound wave velocity measurements of model Martian rocks under actual Martian mantle conditions.
We pushed ahead our capabilities of performing measurements on liquids under extreme conditions. We have been able for the first time to probe both compressibility and thermal expansion (i.e. how the sample volume is affected by pressure and temperature) of liquid metals at conditions prevailing in the interiors of the Moon or Ganymede.
Within this project we are developing techniques and methodologies, combining innovative laboratory and synchrotron measurements, to probe a variety of physical properties of planetary materials, currently unknown or poorly constrained, at actual conditions of planetary interiors. These groundbreaking measurements will allow us to collect the database required to establish reliable planetary models and needed to guide interpretation and full exploitation of observations, be these Earth based or from space missions. Thus this interdisciplinary project at the frontiers between condensed matter physics, materials science, and Earth and planetary science, will shed light into the inner structure and dynamics of telluric planets, and will contribute to understand the processes that shaped the rocky bodies of the inner solar system, addressing fundamental questions related to their origin and evolution.
We developed a unique experimental setup that combines the use of pump-probe laser acoustic techniques together with laser heating diamond anvil cell. Such an innovative instrument allows probing acoustic echoes in samples, be these powders, single crystals, or liquids, under an unprecedentedly large pressure and temperature range, covering the conditions existing in planetary interiors.
We performed the first sound wave velocity measurements of model Martian rocks under actual Martian mantle conditions.
We pushed ahead our capabilities of performing measurements on liquids under extreme conditions. We have been able for the first time to probe both compressibility and thermal expansion (i.e. how the sample volume is affected by pressure and temperature) of liquid metals at conditions prevailing in the interiors of the Moon or Ganymede.
Within this project we are developing techniques and methodologies, combining innovative laboratory and synchrotron measurements, to probe a variety of physical properties of planetary materials, currently unknown or poorly constrained, at actual conditions of planetary interiors. These groundbreaking measurements will allow us to collect the database required to establish reliable planetary models and needed to guide interpretation and full exploitation of observations, be these Earth based or from space missions. Thus this interdisciplinary project at the frontiers between condensed matter physics, materials science, and Earth and planetary science, will shed light into the inner structure and dynamics of telluric planets, and will contribute to understand the processes that shaped the rocky bodies of the inner solar system, addressing fundamental questions related to their origin and evolution.