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Burnett, D. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Burnett, D. S..

At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

In situ trace element microanalysis

The use of particle-track-radiography and X-ray- fluorescence techniques in the in situ measurement of trace (less than 1000 ppm) elements in single mineral phases of polished sections is surveyed, and examples of their application to ordinary, carbonaceous and enstatite chondrites are provided. Radiographic methods surveyed include fission-track radiography (for U, Th, and Pu-244), alpha radiography using nuclear reactions (for Li and B), alpha autoradiography (for Bi and Pb), and beta autoradiography (for several elements in synthetic or biological samples). Two X-ray-fluorescence methods are compared: (1) photon-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), and (2) the potential use of synchrotron radiation. The latter is shown to allow much greater sensitivity than current PIXE technology and a much broader range of elements than particle-track radiography: the ppm analysis of 10-micron grains for all elements heavier than Na. These advantages are seen as balancing the high cost of accelerator use.

Burnett, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Xenon diffusion following ion implantation into feldspar - Dependence on implantation dose

The diffusion properties of xenon implanted into feldspar, a major mineral in meteorites and lunar samples, are investigated in light of the importance of xenon diffusion in the interpretation of early solar system chronologies and the retention time of solar-wind-implanted Xe. Known doses of Xe ions were implanted at an energy of 200 keV into single-crystal plagioclase targets, and depth profiles were measured by alpha particle backscattering before and after annealing for one hour at 900 or 1000 C. The fraction of Xe retained following annealing is found to be strongly dependent on implantation dose, being greatest at a dose of 3 x 10 to the 15th ions/sq cm and decreasing at higher and lower doses. Xe retention is also observed to be unaffected by two-step anneals, or by implantation with He or Ar. Three models of the dose-dependent diffusion properties are considered, including epitaxial crystal regrowth during annealing controlled by the extent of radiation damage, the creation of trapping sites by radiation damage, and the inhibition of recrystallization by Xe during annealing

Melcher, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Retention of ion-implanted-xenon in olivine: Dependence on implantation dose

The diffusion of Xe in olivine, a major mineral in both meteorites and lunar samples, was studied. Xe ions were implanted at 200 keV into single-crystal synthetic-forsterite targets and the depth profiles were measured by alpha particle backscattering before and after annealing for 1 hour at temperatures up to 1500 C. The fraction of implanted Xe retained following annealing was strongly dependent on the implantation dose. Maximum retention of 100% occurred for an implantion dose of 3 x 10 to the 15th power Xe ions/sq cm. Retention was less at lower doses, with (approximately more than or = 50% loss at one hundred trillion Xe ions/sq cm. Taking the diffusion coefficient at this dose as a lower limit, the minimum activation energy necessary for Xe retention in a 10 micrometer layer for ten million years was calculated as a function of metamorphic temperature.

Melcher, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Metal and Bi/Pb microdistribution studies of an L3 chondrite - Their implications for a meteorite parent body

Strong localizations relative to bulk are reported of Bi, and to a lesser extent Pb, in some of the kamacite grains in Khohar, while other kamacite grains show no such enrichments. Distinctive and correlated differences in the Ni content are found in the two kamacite populations, with the Bi/Pb-rich kamacite grains having consistently lower Ni levels than the 6-7% typical of the Bi/Pb-poor kamacite. The Bi/Pb-rich kamacite grains also exhibit a highly reactive attack upon etching, which may be due to a finely polycrystaline microstructure. It is concluded that the trace element microdistributions were not established in the nebula, and that the enrichments were not likely to have occurred with slow cooling in the presence of a vapor phase during the kamacite-taenite phase transitions.

Woolum, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Actinide crystal-liquid partitioning for clinopyroxene and Ca3/PO4/2

Coefficients for the partitioning of the actinide elements Th, U and Pu, which are used as indicators of r-process nucleosynthesis and the ages of meteorite and lunar samples, between diopsidic clinopyroxene, whitlockite and silicate liquid at 20 kbar are measured. Fission and alpha track radiography techniques are employed to detect element concentrations in synthetic crystals made using spiked starting materials, under the assumptions of equilibrium partitioning at the crystal-liquid interface and actinide zoning. Analysis of the data indicates results to be consistent with interface equilibrium except at high cooling rates. Th/U/Pu partition coefficients of about 0.002/0.002/O.06 are measured for clinopyroxene and 1.2/0.5/3.4 for whitlockite. The greater incorporation of Pu into the crystalline phases is attributed to the importance of trivalent Pu, and the similarity of its partition coefficient into clinopyroxene to that of the light rare earths supports the concept of Pu/rare earth dating.

Benjamin, T.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Laboratory studies of actinide metal-silicate fractionation

Actinide and Sm partition coefficients between silicate melt and several metallic phases have been measured. Under reducing conditions Si, Th, U and Pu can be reduced to metals from silicate melts and alloyed with a platinum-gold alloy. U and Pu enter a molten Pt-Si alloy with roughly equal affinity but U strongly partitions into the solid Pt. Th behaves qualitatively the same as Pu but is much less readily reduced than U, and Sm appears to remain unreduced. Experiments with Fe metal have shown that the partition coefficients of the actinides between Fe and silicate liquid are extremely low, suggesting a very low actinide concentration in planetary cores. Experiments show that platinum metals can efficiently fractionate actinides and fractionate actinides from lanthanides and this process may be relevant to the condensation behavior of these elements from the solar nebula. Pt-metal grains in Allende Ca-Al-rich inclusions appear to be U-poor, although the sub-class of Zr-bearing Pt metals may have high U contents.

Jones, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Evidence for the siderophilic behavior of meteoritic bismuth

The microdistributions of Bi and Pb-208 in the Khohar L3 chondrite were determined in situ using radiography techniques based on particle track detectors. Strong (enrichment factors 10 to 100) localizations of Bi were found in association with kamacite; no enhancement of Bi or Pb was found in sulfides. High-magnification microprobe and reflected light observations strongly indicate that Bi actually resides in the kamacite, providing evidence for the siderophilic nature. The minor and major element chemistry of the metals in the sample was typical of chondrites of its type. The unusual Bi distribution in the Khohar chondrite suggests that it may have been exposed to high Bi partial pressures during slow cooling at kamacite-taenite phase separation in a volatile-rich region of a parent body, or that Bi may have been incorporated into previously cooled grains by mild reheating.

Woolum, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Laboratory studies of actinide partitioning relevant to 244Pu chronometry

Actinide partitioning and light lanthanide fractionation have been studied to gain an understanding of Pu chemistry under meteoritic and lunar conditions. The goal of the study was to identify conditions and samples from which chronological information can be retrieved. The laboratory investigations involved particle track radiography of the crystal/liquid partitioning of Th, U and Pu among diopsidic clinopyroxene, whitlockite and liquid. It is found that trivalent Pu plays an important role in partitioning for lunar and most meteoritic conditions. The use of Pu/Nd for relative age assessments is supported to some extent by the investigations; samples with unfractionated U, Th and Nd abundances (relative to average solar system values) may be suitable for Pu chronometry.

Benjamin, T.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Direct measurement of surface carbon concentrations for lunar soil breccias

A nuclear reaction depth profiling technique previously described by Filleux et al. (1977) has been used to measure the depth distribution of C on grain surfaces for Apollo 11, 15, 16 and 17 soil breccias. The surface C concentration of all samples studied lies between 2 and 8 times 10 to the 15th atoms per sq cm, showing no correlation with the volume C, which varies over an order of magnitude. If the observed variation represents the presence of unexposed grains on the surfaces studied, these results indicate a steady state surface C concentration of 5 to 10 times 10 to the 15th atoms per sq cm, accumulated over a time scale short compared with that required for the formation of volume-related C and with the mean lifetime of grains at the lunar surface. About one-third to one-half of the total C in lunar soil seems to be surface-correlated.

Filleux, C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Spacecraft-produced neutron fluxes on Skylab

Estimates of neutron fluxes in different energy ranges are reported for the Skylab spacecraft. Detectors composed of uranium, thorium, and bismuth foils with mica as a fission track recorder, as well as boron foils with cellulose acetate as an alpha-particle recorder, were deployed at different positions in the Orbital Workshop. It was found that the Skylab neutron flux was dominated by high energy (greater than 1 MeV) contributions and that there was no significant time variation in the fluxes. Firm upper limits of 7-15 neutrons/sq cm-sec, depending on the detector location in the spacecraft, were established for fluxes above 1 MeV. Below 1 MeV, the neutron fluxes were about an order of magnitude lower. The neutrons are interpreted as originating from the interactions of leakage protons from the radiation belt with the spacecraft.

Quist, T. C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Mass fractionation of the lunar surface by solar wind sputtering

An investigation is conducted concerning the mass-fractionation effects produced in connection with the bombardment of the moon by the solar wind. Most of the material ejected by sputtering escapes the moon's gravity, but some returning matter settles back onto the lunar surface. This material, which is somewhat richer in heavier atoms than the starting surface, is incorporated into the heavily radiation-damaged outer surfaces of grains. The investigation indicates that sputtering of the lunar surface by the solar wind will give rise to significant surface heavy atom enrichments if the grain surfaces are allowed to come into sputtering equilibrium.

Switkowski, Z. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Exposure ages and erosion rates for lunar rocks

The available data on the effects of particle bombardment of lunar rocks are examined, taking into account rare gas data, neutron capture products, radioactive nuclei, and particle tracks. Attention is given to exposure ages, questions concerning the validity of exposure ages, the location of rocks during irradiation, the criteria for valid crater ages, special problems regarding lunar breccias, surface residence times from long lived radioactive nuclei, surface residence times from galactic cosmic ray track data, rocks with simple surface exposure, rocks with complex surface exposure, limits on surface residence times, suntan and subdecimeter ages, erosion rates, and a number of case histories related to exposure age measurements as applied to the problem of the dating of impact events.

Burnett, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Direct measurement of surface carbon concentrations

Measurements of surface concentrations of carbon in lunar soils and soil breccias provide information on the origin of carbon in the regolith. The reaction C-12 (d, p sub zero) is used to measure 'surface' and 'volume' concentrations in lunar samples. This method has a depth resolution of 1 micron, which permits only a 'surface' and a 'volume' component to be measured. Three of four Apollo 16 double drive tube samples show a surface carbon concentration of about 8 by 10 to the 14th power/sq cm, whereas the fourth sample gave 4 by 10 to the 14th power/sq cm. It can be convincingly shown that the measured concentration does not originate from fluorocarbon or hydrocarbon contaminants. Surface adsorbed layers of CO or CO2 are removed by a sputter cleaning procedure using a 2-MeV F beam. It is shown that the residual C concentration of 8 by 10 to the 14th power/sq cm cannot be further reduced by increased F fluence, and it is therefore concluded that it is truly lunar. If one assumes that the measured surface C concentration is a steady-state concentration determined only by a balance between solar-wind implantation and sputtering, a sputter erosion rate of 0.1 A/yr is obtained. However, it would be more profitable to use an independently derived sputter erosion rate to test the hypothesis of a solar-wind origin of the surface carbon.

Filleux, C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Gravitational and recoil contributions to surface mass fractionation by solar-wind sputtering

The sputtering of the lunar surface by the solar wind is examined as a possible mechanism of mass fractionation. Two distinct contributions to this mechanism are considered: (1) the tendency for a greater fraction of the heavier sputtered atoms to fall back to the surface under lunar gravity; and (2) mass-dependent kinetic effects that arise in the sputtering process itself. Calculations predict that delta (O-18) is approximately 5.6% while delta (Si-30) is about 3.6% and that oxygen is depleted in the outer regions of grains relative to the bulk composition. The results are in reasonable agreement with experiment, and one must conclude that mass fractionation by solar wind is an important phenomenon on the lunar surface.

Haff, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Thorium-uranium fission radiography

Results are described for studies designed to develop routine methods for in-situ measurement of the abundance of Th and U on a microscale in heterogeneous samples, especially rocks, using the secondary high-energy neutron flux developed when the 650 MeV proton beam of an accelerator is stopped in a 42 x 42 cm diam Cu cylinder. Irradiations were performed at three different locations in a rabbit tube in the beam stop area, and thick metal foils of Bi, Th, and natural U as well as polished silicate glasses of known U and Th contents were used as targets and were placed in contact with mica which served as a fission track detector. In many cases both bare and Cd-covered detectors were exposed. The exposed mica samples were etched in 48% HF and the fission tracks counted by conventional transmitted light microscopy. Relative fission cross sections are examined, along with absolute Th track production rates, interaction tracks, and a comparison of measured and calculated fission rates. The practicality of fast neutron radiography revealed by experiments to data is discussed primarily for Th/U measurements, and mixtures of other fissionable nuclei are briefly considered.

Haines, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Fluorine as a constituent in lunar magmatic gases

Fluorine surface deposits on Apollo 15 green glass, Apollo 17 orange glass, and on vesicle linings from Apollo 15 basalts were studied by a resonant nuclear reaction technique. Surface layers of about 10 to the 15th F atoms/sq cm were observed on unbroken spheroidal glass surfaces, whereas thinner (about 10 to the 14th atoms/sq cm) deposits were found on the vesicle linings.

Goldberg, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Lunar science - The Apollo legacy

The progress made in answering a list of fundamental lunar problems is considered, taking into account the nature of the differences in highlands and mare materials, the chemical composition of the moon, the density and internal structure of the moon, and the state of evolution of the moon. Attention is also given to a number of unanticipated results provided by lunar science. Findings concerning an ancient paleomagnetic field are discussed along with the characteristics of exotic components in the regolith, fundamental material differences observed in lunar surface layers, microcraters, and questions regarding an enhanced iron emission in solar flares.

Burnett, D. S.↗