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At least 1,369 records · Page 76

Opportunities for isomer studies for astrophysics at FRIB

The role of nuclear isomers in astrophysical nucleosynthesis is gaining increased attention, as reactions on ground and isomeric states are both potentially important for determining the reaction rates and flow within the reaction network. A particular case is the odd-odd N=Z nuclides in the sd -shell, which play an important role in breakout from the CNO cycle in nova nucleosynthesis, affecting reaction flow, the nucleosynthesis end-point, and final abundances, impacting potential astronomical observables. Because many of these nuclides have low-lying isomers, it is important to constrain reactions on both ground and isomeric states. Developments in radioactive-beam facilities are opening such opportunities, via direct and indirect techniques. The first measurement using a new technique for manipulating ground/isomer content in reaccelerated beams without affecting ion optics, has been employed to study 38 K, which will be applicable to measurements on 34 Cl and others at the nascent Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Molecular insights into the evolution of woody plant decay in the gut of termites

Plant cell walls represent the most abundant pool of organic carbon in terrestrial ecosystems but are highly recalcitrant to utilization by microbes and herbivores owing to the physical and chemical barrier provided by lignin biopolymers. Termites are a paradigmatic example of an organism’s having evolved the ability to substantially degrade lignified woody plants, yet atomic-scale characterization of lignin depolymerization by termites remains elusive. We report that the phylogenetically derived termite Nasutitermes sp. efficiently degrades lignin via substantial depletion of major interunit linkages and methoxyls by combining isotope-labeled feeding experiments and solution-state and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Exploring the evolutionary origin of lignin depolymerization in termites, we reveal that the early-diverging woodroach Cryptocercus darwini has limited capability in degrading lignocellulose, leaving most polysaccharides intact. Conversely, the phylogenetically basal lineages of “lower” termites are able to disrupt the lignin-polysaccharide inter- and intramolecular bonding while leaving lignin largely intact. These findings advance knowledge on the elusive but efficient delignification in natural systems with implications for next-generation ligninolytic agents.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The Precambrian Biogeochemical Carbon Isotopic Record: Contributions of Thermal Versus Biological Processes

Superplumes offer a new approach for understanding global C cycles. Isotopes help to discern the impacts of geological, environmental and biological processes ujpun the evolution of these cycles. For example, C-13/C-12 values of coeval sedimentary organics and carbonates give global estimates of the fraction of C buried as organics (Forg), which today lies near 0.2. Before Oxygenic photosynthesis arose, our biosphere obtained reducing power for biosynthesis solely from thermal volatiles and rock alteration. Thus Forg was dominated by the mantle redox state, which has remained remarkably constant for greater than Gy. Recent data confirm that the long-term change in Forg had been small, indicating that the mantle redox buffer remains important even today. Oxygenic photosynthesis enabled life to obtain additional reducing power by splitting the water molecule. Accordingly, biological organic production rose above the level constrained by the mantle-derived flux of reduced species. For example, today, chemoautotrophs harvesting energy from hydrothermal emanations can synthesize at most between 0.2 x 10(exp 12) and 2x 10(exp 12) mol C yr-1 of organic C globally. In contrast, global photosynthetic productivity is estimated at 9000 x 10(exp 12) mol C yr-1. Occasionally photosynthetic productivity did contribute to dramatically -elevated Forg values (to 0.4 or more) as evidenced by very high carbonate C-13/C-12. The interplay between biological, tectonic and other environmental factors is illustrated by the mid-Archean to mid-Proterozoic isotopic record. The relatively constant C-13/C-12 values of Archean carbonates support the view that photosynthetically-driven Forg increases were not yet possible. In contrast, major excursions in C-13/C-12, and thus also in Forg, during the early Proterozoic confirmed the global importance of oxygenic photosynthesis by that time. Remarkably, the superplume event at 1.9 Ga did not trigger another major Forg increase, despite the favorable conditions for organic burial that were evidenced by elevated sea levels and higher black shale abundances. Perhaps those superplume-rated processes that favored enhanced organic burial were offset by the ability of mantle-derived redox buffering, which was enhanced during the superplume event, to limit excursions in Forg.

DesMarais, David J.↗

[Stardust Amines]

We investigated the abundances of amino acids and amines, as well as their enantiomeric composition in water extracts of comet Wild 2 exposed aerogel and aluminum foils returned by Stardust using liquid chromatography with UV fluorescence detection and time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-FD/ToF-MS). A suite of amino acids and amines including glycine, L-alanine, methylamine (MA), and ethylamine (EA) were identified in the Stardust bulk aerogel. With the exception of MA and EA, all other primary amines detected in comet-exposed aerogels were also present in the aerogel witness tile that was not exposed to Wild 2, suggesting that most amines are terrestrial in origin. The enhanced abundances of MA, EA, and possibly glycine in comet-exposed aerogel compared to controls, coupled with MA to EA ratios (approx.1 to 2) that are distinct from preflight aerogels (approx.7 to lo), suggest that these amines were captured from Wild 2. The presence of cometary amines in Stardust material supports the hypothesis that comets were an important source of prebiotic organics on the early Earth. To better understand their origin, a systematic study of all these species with C, N, and H compound specific isotopic analysis (CSIA) via gas chromatography quadrupole mass spectrometry in with parallel with combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-QMS/IRMS) is being conducted. We will discuss our latest C-CSIA measurements and what they indicate about the origin of the amino acids extracted from Stardust samples.

Dworkin, Jason P.↗

Chapter 6: Sulfur on Mars from the Atmosphere to the Core

Observations of the martian surface from orbiting spacecraft and in situ landers and rovers, as well as analyses of martian meteorites in terrestrial laboratories, have consistently indicated that Mars is a sulfur-rich planet. The global inventory of sulfur, from the atmosphere to the core, carries widespread implications of potential geophysical, geochemical, climatological, and astrobiological significance. For example, the sulfur content of the core carries implications for core density; the speciation of igneous sulfur minerals reflects the oxidation state of the magma from which they formed; sulfur-bearing gases may have exerted control on the temperatures at the surface of early Mars; and the widespread availability of sulfur on Mars would have provided an abundant source for energy and nutrients to fuel sulfur-metabolizing microbes, such as those that arose during the emergence of primitive life on Earth. Here we provide an overview of martian sulfur and its relevance to these areas of interest, including a discussion of analytical techniques and results acquired by space missions and meteorite analyses to date. We review current studies modeling the potential effects of sulfur-bearing gases on the past martian climate and possible constraints on atmospheric composition implied by sulfur isotopic data. We also explore the importance of sulfur to the search for extinct or extant life on Mars. Finally, we summarize a few areas of interest to future work, including advances in space exploration technology and preparation for Mars sample return.

Climate↗

A Primordial Atmospheric Origin of Hydrospheric Deuterium Enrichment on Mars

The deuterium-to-hydrogen (D/H or 2H/1H) ratio of Martian atmospheric water (~6× standard mean ocean water, SMOW) is higher than that of known sources, requiring planetary enrichment. A recent measurement by NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity of Hesperian-era (>3 Ga) clays yields a D/H ratio ~3×SMOW, demonstrating that most of the enrichment occurs early in Mars’s history, reinforcing the conclusions of Martian meteorite studies. As on Venus, Mars’s D/H enrichment is widely thought to reflect preferential loss to space of 1H (protium) relative to 2H (deuterium), but both the cause and the global environmental context of large and early hydrogen losses remain to be determined. Here, we apply a recent model of primordial atmosphere evolution to Mars, link the magma ocean of the accretion epoch with a subsequent water-ocean epoch, and calculate the behavior of deuterium for comparison with the observed record. In contrast to earlier works that consider Martian D/H fractionation in atmospheres in which hydrogen reservoirs are present exclusively as H2O or H2, here we consider 2-component (H2O-H2) outgassed atmospheres in which both condensed (H2O) and escaping (H2) components – and their interaction – are explicitly calculated. We find that a a ≈2-3× hydrospheric deuterium-enrichment is produced rapidly if the Martian magma ocean is chemically reducing at last equilibration with the primordial atmosphere, making H2 and CO the initially dominant species, with minor abundances of H2O and CO2. Reducing gases – in particular H2 – can cause substantial greenhouse warming and prevent a water ocean from freezing immediately after the magma ocean epoch. We find that greenhouse warming due to plausible H2 inventories (pH2=1-102 bars) yields surface temperatures high enough (Ts=290-560 K) to stabilize a water ocean and produce an early hydrological cycle through which surface water can be circulated. Moreover, the pressure-temperature conditions are high enough to produce ocean-atmosphere H2O-H2 isotopic equilibrium through gas-phase deuterium exchange such that surface H2O strongly concentrates deuterium relative to H2, which preferentially takes up protium and escapes from the primordial atmosphere. The efficient physical separation of deuterium-rich (H2O) and deuterium-poor (H2) species via condensation permits equilibrium isotopic partitioning and early atmospheric escape to be recorded in modern crustal reservoirs. The proposed scenario of primordial H2-CO-rich outgassing and escape suggests significant durations (>Myr) of chemical conditions on the Martian surface conducive to prebiotic chemistry immediately following magma ocean crystallization.

Mars↗

Isotopic anomalies of noble gases in meteorites and their origins. IV - C3 /Ornans/ carbonaceous chondrites

The C3O chondrites Kainsaz, Lance, and Ornans were studied by an acid dissolution technique to characterize the noble gas components in 3 mineral fractions: HF, HCl-solubles, chromite and carbon, and 'phase Q', a trace mineral containing Ar, Kr, Xe. For all fractions, gas contents decline in the order Kainsaz, Lance, Ornans; this trend parallels volatile contents but not heterogeneity of olivine composition or degree of metamorphism, and reflects progressively higher condensation temperature from the solar nebula. The Ar/Xe ratios and compositions of the three mineral fractions are discussed, and it is concluded that in all primitive chondrites the amount and the chemical separability of CCFXe parallel the abundance of primordial noble gases and other volatiles, such as C, N, Tl, Bi, and In. The close correlation of CCFXe with properties of local origin, such as volatile content and petrologic type, is more consistent with a local than with an extrasolar origin of the component.

Alaerts, L.↗

Nuclear Dynamics and Reactions in the Ab Initio Symmetry-Adapted Framework

We review the ab initio symmetry-adapted (SA) framework for determining the structure of stable and unstable nuclei, along with related electroweak, decay, and reaction processes. This framework utilizes the dominant symmetry of nuclear dynamics, the shape-related symplectic [Formula: see text] symmetry, which has been shown to emerge from first principles and to expose dominant degrees of freedom that are collective in nature, even in the lightest species or seemingly spherical states. This feature is illustrated for a broad scope of nuclei ranging from helium to titanium isotopes, enabled by recent developments of the ab initio SA no-core shell model expanded to the continuum through the use of the SA basis and that of the resonating group method. The review focuses on energies, electromagnetic transitions, quadrupole and magnetic moments, radii, form factors, and response function moments for ground-state rotational bands and giant resonances. The method also determines the structure of reaction fragments that is used to calculate decay widths and α-capture reactions for simulated X-ray burst abundance patterns, as well as nucleon–nucleus interactions for cross sections and other reaction observables.

Physics↗

High Yield Muon Catalyzed Fusion

Fusion holds great promise as a clean and abundant energy source. However, traditional thermonuclear fusion encounters significant challenges due to the extreme temperatures required to overcome the coulomb barrier for two nuclei to fuse. In contrast, muon-catalyzed fusion presents an alternative approach that can surmount this barrier at significantly lower temperatures. Muons, with properties resembling those of electrons but 200 times heavier, can effectively reduce the atomic orbital radius, enabling central nuclei to overcome the coulomb force through the strong force. By introducing muons into a mixture of deuterium and tritium (two hydrogen isotopes), fusion is facilitated, releasing a 3.5MeV alpha particle and a 14.1MeV neutron. In the majority of cases, the muon is liberated and can initiate further fusions. However, approximately 0.8% of the time, it adheres to the alpha particle and remains bound until it either decays or undergoes reactivation through collisional ionization. To maximize the number of fusions per muon, it is crucial to enhance the cycling rate and reactivation fraction. Theoretical predictions and experimental data both suggest that the sticking rate decreases with increasing density. However, there exists a discrepancy between experimental observations and theoretical estimations regarding the extent of this decrease. To address these disparities, this experiment aims to investigate the cycling rate and sticking fraction under higher temperatures and pressures than previously explored.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Beam Design for Muon Catalyzed Fusion

Fusion holds great promise as a clean and abundant energy source. However, traditional thermonuclear fusion encounters significant challenges due to the extreme temperatures required to overcome the coulomb barrier for two nuclei to fuse. In contrast, muon-catalyzed fusion presents an alternative approach that can surmount this barrier at significantly lower temperatures. Muons, with properties resembling those of electrons but 200 times heavier, can effectively reduce the atomic orbital radius, enabling central nuclei to overcome the coulomb force through the strong force. By introducing muons into a mixture of deuterium and tritium (two hydrogen isotopes), fusion is facilitated, releasing a 3.5MeV alpha particle and a 14.1MeV neutron. In the majority of cases, the muon is liberated and can initiate further fusions. However, approximately 0.8% of the time, it adheres to the alpha particle and remains bound until it either decays or undergoes reactivation through collisio nal ionization. To maximize the number of fusions per muon, it is crucial to enhance the cycling rate and reactivation fraction. Theoretical predictions and experimental data both suggest that the sticking rate decreases with increasing density. However, there exists a discrepancy between experimental observations and theoretical estimations regarding the extent of this decrease. To address these disparities, this experiment aims to investigate the cycling rate and sticking fraction under higher temperatures and pressures than previously explored.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Characterization of Li in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field

Abstract The behavior of lithium during geothermal brine and host-rock interactions in the Salton Sea geothermal field is underconstrained. The lithium brine reservoir inventory is between 4 and 18 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, with an even larger amount present within the reservoir rock mineral phases. Here, we present bulk-rock and brine Li concentration and δ7Li, and in situ Li concentrations of minerals from the California State 2-14 scientific drill core and commercial wells in the Salton Sea geothermal field to identify the mineral hosts of Li and constrain Li behavior during brine-rock interactions. Lithium contents are highest in chlorite (270–580 ppm, ~2,358 m), which encases pyrite, indicating that Li is fixed from the brine into the host rocks during hydrothermal alteration. Lithium abundances in chlorite decrease with depth (70–100 ppm, ~2,882 m), as does whole-rock Li content, whereas whole-rock δ7Li increases (δ7Li = 2.0–4.3‰, ~2,485-m depth; δ7Li = 4.3–7.9‰ from ~2,819 to ~2,882 m). This change in behavior of Li at ~2,500 m suggests temperature dependent partitioning of Li in chlorite; Li becomes more incompatible in chlorite at depths >~2,500 m, corresponding to ~325°C in the reservoir. The brines have δ7Li = 3.7 to 4.7‰ and calculated isotopic fractionation factors between the brine and the host rock agree with a change in Li behavior at ~325°C. Simple closed-system batch modeling does not describe the geothermal system, suggesting open-system behavior of Li within the Salton Sea geothermal field.

Humphreys, J↗

Muon-Catalyzed Fusion

Fusion holds great promise as a clean and abundant energy source. However, traditional thermonuclear fusion encounters significant challenges due to the extreme temperatures required to overcome the coulomb barrier for two nuclei to fuse. In contrast, muon-catalyzed fusion presents an alternative approach that can surmount this barrier at significantly lower temperatures. Muons, with properties resembling those of electrons but 200 times heavier, can effectively reduce the atomic orbital radius, enabling central nuclei to overcome the coulomb force through the strong force. By introducing muons into a mixture of deuterium and tritium (two hydrogen isotopes), fusion is facilitated, releasing a 3.5MeV alpha particle and a 14.1MeV neutron. In the majority of cases, the muon is liberated and can initiate further fusions. However, approximately 0.8% of the time, it adheres to the alpha particle and remains bound until it either decays or undergoes reactivation through collisional ionization. To maximize the number of fusions per muon, it is crucial to enhance the cycling rate and reactivation fraction. Theoretical predictions and experimental data both suggest that the sticking rate decreases with increasing density. However, there exists a discrepancy between experimental observations and theoretical estimations regarding the extent of this decrease. To address these disparities, this experiment aims to investigate the cycling rate and sticking fraction under higher temperatures and pressures than previously explored.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Anomalous C-12H4:C-13H4 strengths in 3 ny sub 3

The C-12:C-13 ratios in the atmospheres of the outer planets are important parameters with which to test models for isotope formation and fractionation during the early history of the solar system, yielding insight into processes occurring in the primitive solar nebula. The 3 ny sub 3 spectra of methane were obtained using the Kitt Peak Solar Fourier Transform Spectrometer and a 6 m White cell. The experimental results are summarized in a table. The strength ratios for the R-branch of 3 ny sub 3 exhibit strong anomalies, with C-13H4 lines consistently weaker than their C-12H4 counterparts. The C-12:C-13 abundance ratios for the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn have been redetermined using the 3 ny sub 3 line-strength ratios measured.

Brault, J. W.↗

Aqueous Alteration and Hydrogen Generation on Parent Bodies of Unequilibrated Ordinary Chondrites: Thermodynamic Modeling for the Semarkona Composition

Ordinary chondrites are the most abundant class of meteorites that could represent rocky parts of solar system bodies. However, even the most primitive unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOC) reveal signs of mild alteration that affected the matrix and peripheral zones of chondrules. Major chemical changes include oxidation of kamacite, alteration of glass, removal of alkalis, Al, and Si from chondrules, and formation of phases enriched in halogens, alkalis, and hydrogen. Secondary mineralogical changes include formation of magnetite, ferrous olivine, fayalite, pentlandite, awaruite, smectites, phosphates, carbonates, and carbides. Aqueous alteration is consistent with the oxygen isotope data for magnetite. The presence of secondary magnetite, Ni-rich metal alloys, and ferrous silicates in UOC implies that H2O was the oxidizing agent. However, oxidation by H2O means that H2 is produced in each oxidative pathway. In turn, production of H2, and its redistribution and possible escape should have affected total pressure, as well as the oxidation state of gas, aqueous and mineral phases in the parent body. Here we use equilibrium thermodynamic modeling to explore water-rock reactions in UOC. The chemical composition of gas, aqueous, and mineral phases is considered.

Zolotov, M. Y.↗

The abundances of F, Cl, and H2O in eucrites: Implications for the origin of volatile depletion in the asteroid 4 Vesta

We conducted a petrologic study of apatite within eight unbrecciated, non-cumulate eucrites and two monomict, non-cumulate eucrites. These data were combined with previously published data to quantify the abundances of F, Cl, and H2O in the bulk silicate portion of asteroid 4 Vesta (BSV). Using a combination of apatite-based melt hygrometry/chlorometry and appropriately paired volatile/refractory element ratios, we determined that BSV has 3.0–7.2 ppm F, 0.39–1.8 ppm Cl, and 3.6–22 ppm H2O. The abundances of F and H2O are depleted in BSV relative to CI chondrites to a similar degree as F and H2O in the bulk silicate portion of the Moon. This degree of volatile depletion in BSV is similar to what has been determined previously for many moderately volatile elements in 4 Vesta (e.g., Na, K, Zn, Rb, Cs, and Pb). In contrast, Cl is depleted in 4 Vesta by a greater degree than what is recorded in samples from Earth or the Moon. Based on the Cl-isotopic compositions of eucrites and the bulk rock Cl/F ratios determined in this study, the eucrites likely formed through serial magmatism of a mantle with heterogeneous δ37Cl and Cl/F, not as extracts from a partially crystallized global magma ocean. Furthermore, the volatile depletion and Cl-isotopic heterogeneity recorded in eucrites is likely inherited, at least in part, from the precursor materials that accreted to form 4 Vesta and is unlikely to have resulted solely from degassing of a global magma ocean, magmatic degassing of eucrite melts, and/or volatile loss during thermal metamorphism. Although our results can be reconciled with the past presence of wide-scale melting on 4 Vesta (i.e., a partial magma ocean), any future models for eucrite petrogenesis involving a global magma ocean would need to account for the preservation of a heterogeneous eucrite source with respect to Cl/F ratios and Cl isotopes.

Francis M. Mccubbin↗

Polyethylene Upcycling to Liquid Alkanes in Molten Salts under Neat and External Hydrogen Source-Free Conditions

Development of facile approaches to convert plastic waste into liquid fuels under neat conditions is highly desired but challenging, particularly without noble metal catalysts and an external hydrogen source. Herein, highly efficient and selective polyethylene-to-gasoline oil (branched C 6 –C 12 alkanes) conversion was achieved under mild conditions (<170 °C) using commercially available AlCl 3 -containing molten salts as reaction media and to provide catalytic sites (no extra solvents, additives, or hydrogen feeding). The high catalytic efficiency and selectivity was ensured by the abundant active Al sites with strong Lewis acidity (comparable to the Al type in acidic zeolite) and highly ionic nature of the molten salts to stabilize the carbenium intermediates. Dynamic genesis of the Al sites was elucidated via time-resolved Al K-edge soft X-ray and 27 Al NMR, confirming the tricoordinated Al 3+ as active sites and its coordination with the as-generated alkene/aromatic intermediates. Further, the carbenium formation and polyethylene chain variation was illustrated by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and an isotope-labeling experiment. Theoretical simulations further demonstrated the successive hydride abstraction, β-scission, isomerization, and internal hydrogen transfer reaction pathway with AlCl 3 as active sites. This facile catalytic system can further achieve the conversion of robust, densely assembled, and high molecular weight plastic model compounds to liquid alkane products in the diesel range.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Coordinated neutron and X-ray computed tomography of meteorites: Detection and distribution of hydrogen-bearing materials

The presence and distribution of hydrogen-bearing materials in meteorites are important constraints on processes in the early solar system, and the delivery of volatile constituents to growing planets. Here, in this paper, we show that coordinated neutron and X-ray computed tomography, NXCT, can reveal the presence and distributions of hydrogen-bearing materials in meteorites, and thus help constrain the presence and actions of water in the early solar system. NXCT is nearly nondestructive of meteorite samples. Neutron fluence in NXCT is approximately seven orders of magnitude less than in typical instrumental neutron activation analysis, and so produces little residual radioactivity and currently undetectable changes in isotope ratios. Heating during NXCT is minimal, but NXCT will overprint the record of cosmic ray exposure held in natural thermoluminescence. Two meteorites were examined. EET 87503 is a howardite, a regolith breccia inferred to be from the asteroid 4 Vesta, and contains fragments of eucrite basalt, diogenite pyroxenite, and H-rich carbonaceous chondrites. With NXCT, the chondrite fragments within the meteorite piece can be clearly located and characterized, in preparation for possible extraction and detailed analyses. Graves Nunataks (GRA) 06100 is a CR2 chondrite meteorite that contains abundant iron metal and H-bearing silicates from aqueous alteration. In NXCT, H-bearing altered material is clearly distinguished from metal, and its distribution in three dimensions is revealed as a constraint on the processes of alteration.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Deuterated Water in Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) and its Implications for the Origin of Comets

The close approach to the Earth of comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) in March 1996 allowed searches for minor volatile species outgassing from the nucleus. We report the detection of deuterated water (HDO) through its 1(sub 01)-0(sub 00) rotational transition at 464.925 GHz using the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. We also present negative results of a sensitive research for the J(5-4) line of deuterated hydrogen cyanide (DCN) at 362.046 GHz. Simultaneous observations of two rotational lines of methanol together with HDO in the same spectrum allow us to determine the average gas temperature within the telescope beam to be 69 +/- 10 K. We are thus able to constrain the excitation conditions in the inner coma and determine reliably the HDO production rate as (1.20 +/- 0.28) x 10(exp 26)/s on March 23-24, 1996. Available IR, UV and radio measurements lead to a water production rate of (2.1 +/- 0.5) x 10(exp 29)/s at the time of our HDO observations. The resulting D/H ratio in cometary water is thus (29 +/- 10) x 10(exp -5) in good agreement with the values of (30.8(sub - 5.3, sup +3.8) (Balsiger et al. 1995) and (31.6 +/- 3.4) x 10(exp -5) (Eberhardt et al. 1995) determined in comet P/Halley from in situ ion mass spectra. The inferred 3 a upper limit for the D/H ratio in HCN is 1%. Deuterium abundance is a key parameter for studying the origin and the early evolution of the Solar System and of its individual bodies. Our HDO measurement confirms that, in cometary water, deuterium is enriched by a factor of at least 10 relative to the protosolar ratio, namely the D/H ratio in H2 in the primitive Solar Nebula which formed from the collapse of the protosolar cloud. This indicates that cometary water has preserved a major part of the high D/H ratio acquired in this protosolar cloud through ion-molecule isotopic exchanges or grain-surface reactions and was not re-equilibrated with H2 in the Solar Nebula. Scenarios of formation of comets consistent with these results are discussed.

Bockelee-Morvan, D.↗