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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

DDA Computations of Porous Aggregates with Forsterite Crystals: Effects of Crystal Shape and Crystal Mass Fraction

Porous aggregate grains are commonly found in cometary dust samples and are needed to model cometary IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Models for thermal emissions from comets require two forms of silicates: amorphous and crystalline. The dominant crystal resonances observed in comet SEDs are from Forsterite (Mg2SiO4). The mass fractions that are crystalline span a large range from 0.0 < or = fcrystal < or = 0.74. Radial transport models that predict the enrichment of the outer disk (>25 AU at 1E6 yr) by inner disk materials (crystals) are challenged to yield the highend-range of cometary crystal mass fractions. However, in current thermal models, Forsterite crystals are not incorporated into larger aggregate grains but instead only are considered as discrete crystals. A complicating factor is that Forsterite crystals with rectangular shapes better fit the observed spectral resonances in wavelength (11.0-11.15 microns, 16, 19, 23.5, 27, and 33 microns), feature asymmetry and relative height (Lindley et al. 2013) than spherically or elliptically shaped crystals. We present DDA-DDSCAT computations of IR absorptivities (Qabs) of 3 micron-radii porous aggregates with 0.13 < or = fcrystal < or = 0.35 and with polyhedral-shaped Forsterite crystals. We can produce crystal resonances with similar appearance to the observed resonances of comet Hale- Bopp. Also, a lower mass fraction of crystals in aggregates can produce the same spectral contrast as a higher mass fraction of discrete crystals; the 11micron and 23 micron crystalline resonances appear amplified when crystals are incorporated into aggregates composed otherwise of spherically shaped amorphous Fe-Mg olivines and pyroxenes. We show that the optical properties of a porous aggregate is not linear combination of its monomers, so aggregates need to be computed. We discuss the consequence of lowering comet crystal mass fractions by modeling IR SEDs with aggregates with crystals, and the implications for radial transport models of our protoplanetary disk.

Crystal Shape and Crystal Mass Fraction↗
NASA NTRS2011

Crystalline Silicates in Comets: Modeling Irregularly-Shaped Forsterite Crystals and Its Implications on Condensation Conditions

Crystalline silicates in comets are a product of the condensation in the hot inner regions (T > or approx. equals 1400 K [1]) of our proto-planetary disk or annealing at somewhat lower temperatures (T > or approx. equals 1000-1200 K) [2, 3, 4] in shocks coupled with disk evolutionary processes that include radial transport of crystals from their formation locations out to the cold outer regions where comet nuclei formed. The grain shape of forsterite (crystals) could be indicative of their formation pathways at high temperatures through vapor-solid condensation or at lower temperatures through vapor-liquid-solid formation and growth [5, 6, 7]. Experiments demonstrate that crystals that formed from a rapidly cooled highly supersaturated silicate vapor are characterized by bulky, platy, columnar/needle and droplet shapes for values of temperature and supersaturation, T and sigma, of 1000-1450 C and < 97, 700-1000 C and 97-161, 580-820 C and 131-230, and <500 C and > 230, respectively [7]. The experimental columnar/needle shapes, which form by vapor-liquid-solid at lower temperatures (<820 C), are extended stacks of plates, where the extension is not correlated with an axial direction: columnar/needles may be extended in the c-axis or a-axis direction, can change directions, and/or are off-kilter or a bit askew extending in a combination of the a- and c-axis direction.

Wooden, Diane H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Diffusion-controlled magnesium isotopic fractionation of a single crystal forsterite evaporated from the solid state

Though the origin of calcium- and aluminum-rich inclusions (CAI's) in carbonaceous chondrites is till a disputed issue, evaporation is no doubt one of the most important processes for the formation of CAI's in the early solar nebula. The mechanism for production of large isotopic mass fractionation effects in magnesium, silicon, oxygen, and chromium in CAI's can be better understood by examining isotopic fractionation during the evaporation of minerals. New evaporation experiments were performed on single-crystal forsterite. The magnesium isotopic distribution near the evaporating surfaces of the residues using a modified AEI IM-20 ion microprobe to obtain rastered beam depth profiles was measured. A theoretical model was used to explain the profiles and allowed determination of the diffusion coefficient of Mg(++) in forsterite at higher temperatures than previous measurements. The gas/solid isotopic fractionation factor for magnesium for evaporation from solid forsterite was also determined and found to be nearly the same as that for evaporation of liquid Mg2SiO4.

Wang, Jianhua↗
NASA NTRS2013

Constraining Cometary Crystal Shapes from IR Spectral Features

A major challenge in deriving the silicate mineralogy of comets is ascertaining how the anisotropic nature of forsterite crystals affects the spectral features' wavelength, relative intensity, and asymmetry. Forsterite features are identified in cometary comae near 10, 11.05-11.2, 16, 19, 23.5, 27.5 and 33 microns [1-10], so accurate models for forsterite's absorption efficiency (Qabs) are a primary requirement to compute IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs, lambdaF lambda vs. lambda) and constrain the silicate mineralogy of comets. Forsterite is an anisotropic crystal, with three crystallographic axes with distinct indices of refraction for the a-, b-, and c-axis. The shape of a forsterite crystal significantly affects its spectral features [13-16]. We need models that account for crystal shape. The IR absorption efficiencies of forsterite are computed using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) code DDSCAT [11,12]. Starting from a fiducial crystal shape of a cube, we systematically elongate/reduce one of the crystallographic axes. Also, we elongate/reduce one axis while the lengths of the other two axes are slightly asymmetric (0.8:1.2). The most significant grain shape characteristic that affects the crystalline spectral features is the relative lengths of the crystallographic axes. The second significant grain shape characteristic is breaking the symmetry of all three axes [17]. Synthetic spectral energy distributions using seven crystal shape classes [17] are fit to the observed SED of comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp). The Hale-Bopp crystalline residual better matches equant, b-platelets, c-platelets, and b-columns spectral shape classes, while a-platelets, a-columns and c-columns worsen the spectral fits. Forsterite condensation and partial evaporation experiments demonstrate that environmental temperature and grain shape are connected [18-20]. Thus, grain shape is a potential probe for protoplanetary disk temperatures where the cometary crystalline forsterite formed. The forsterite crystal shapes (equant, b-platelets, c-platelets, b-columns - excluding a- and c-columns) derived from our modeling [17] of comet Hale- Bopp, compared to laboratory synthesis experiments [18], suggests that these crystals are high temperature condensates. By observing and modeling the crystalline features in comet ISON, we may constrain forsterite crystal shape(s) and link to their formation temperature(s) and environment(s).

anisotropic crystal↗
NASA NTRS1976

The origin of chondrules - Experimental investigation of metastable liquids in the system Mg2SiO4-SiO2

Laser-melted magnesium silicate droplets were supercooled 400-750 C below their equilibrium liquidus temperatures before crystallization and their texture was compared with that of meteoritic and lunar chondrules. Crystal morphology, width and texture were studied in relation to nucleation temperature and bulk composition. It was found that the only phase to nucleate from the forsterite-enstatite normative melts was forsterite. Highly siliceous glass, about 65% SiO2 by weight, was identified interstitially to the forsterite crystals in seven of the MgSiO4 spherules and was thought to be present in all.

Blander, M.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Post-shock temperatures in minerals

An experimental technique for the measurement of post-shock temperatures in minerals is presented, and silicate post-shock temperature measurements are compared with theoretical calculations. The technique involves the use of infrared detectors to determine the brightness temperatures at 4.5 to 5.75 microns and 7 to 14 microns of samples shocked to between 5 and 30 GPa. Results obtained for aluminum 2024 and stainless steel 304, as well as for Bamble bronzite and synthetic crystal forsterite are found at low pressures to be considerably in excess of the temperatures predicted assuming a hydrodynamic rheology and isentropic release parallel to the Hugoniot. The results are shown to be in better agreement, however, with values calculated assuming elastoplastic behavior, and the post-shock temperatures of crystalline quartz are found to be in good agreement with those calculated by Mashimo et al. (1979) from release adiabat data.

Raikes, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Tetravalent chromium (Cr(4+)) as laser-active ion for tunable solid-state lasers

Major accomplishments under NASA grant NAG-1-1346 are summarized. (1) numerical modeling of the four mirror astigmatically compensated, Z-fold cavity was performed and several design parameters to be used for the construction of a femtosecond forsterite laser were revealed by simulation. (2) femtosecond pulses from a continuous wave mode-locked chromium doped forsterite laser were generated. The forsterite laser was actively mode-locked using an acousto-optic modulator operating at 78 MHz with two Brewster high dispersion glass prisms for intra-cavity chirp compensation. Transform-limited sub-100-fs pulses were routinely generated in the TEM(sub 00) mode with 85 mW of continuous power tunable over 1230-1280 nm. The shortest pulses of 60-fs pulsewidth were measured. (3) Self-mode-locked operation of the Cr:forsterite laser was achieved. Synchronous pumping was used to mode lock the forsterite laser resulting in picosecond pulses, which in turn provided the starting mechanism for self-mode-locking. The pulses generated had an FWHM of 105 fs and were tunable between 1230-1270 nm. (4) Numerical calculations indicated that the pair of SF 14 prisms used in the cavity compensated for quadratic phase but introduced a large cubic phase term. Further calculations of other optical glasses indicated that a pair of SFN 64 prisms can introduce the same amount of quadratic phase as SF 14 prisms but introduce a smaller cubic phase. When the SF 14 prisms were replaced by SFN 64 prisms the pulsewidth was reduced to 50 fs. Great improvement was observed in the stability of the self mode-locked forsterite laser and in the ease of achieving mode locking. Using the same experimental arrangement and a new forsterite crystal with improved FOM the pulse width was reduced to 36 fs.

Seas, A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Analyses of Cometary Silicate Crystals: DDA Spectral Modeling of Forsterite

Comets are the Solar System's deep freezers of gases, ices, and particulates that were present in the outer protoplanetary disk. Where comet nuclei accreted was so cold that CO ice (approximately 50K) and other supervolatile ices like ethane (C2H2) were preserved. However, comets also accreted high temperature minerals: silicate crystals that either condensed (greater than or equal to 1400 K) or that were annealed from amorphous (glassy) silicates (greater than 850-1000 K). By their rarity in the interstellar medium, cometary crystalline silicates are thought to be grains that formed in the inner disk and were then radially transported out to the cold and ice-rich regimes near Neptune. The questions that comets can potentially address are: How fast, how far, and over what duration were crystals that formed in the inner disk transported out to the comet-forming region(s)? In comets, the mass fractions of silicates that are crystalline, f_cryst, translate to benchmarks for protoplanetary disk radial transport models. The infamous comet Hale-Bopp has crystalline fractions of over 55%. The values for cometary crystalline mass fractions, however, are derived assuming that the mineralogy assessed for the submicron to micron-sized portion of the size distribution represents the compositional makeup of all larger grains in the coma. Models for fitting cometary SEDs make this assumption because models can only fit the observed features with submicron to micron-sized discrete crystals. On the other hand, larger (0.1-100 micrometer radii) porous grains composed of amorphous silicates and amorphous carbon can be easily computed with mixed medium theory wherein vacuum mixed into a spherical particle mimics a porous aggregate. If crystalline silicates are mixed in, the models completely fail to match the observations. Moreover, models for a size distribution of discrete crystalline forsterite grains commonly employs the CDE computational method for ellipsoidal platelets (c:a:b=8.14x8.14xl in shape with geometrical factors of x:y:z=1:1:10, Fabian et al. 2001; Harker et al. 2007). Alternatively, models for forsterite employ statistical methods like the Distribution of Hollow Spheres (Min et al. 2008; Oliveira et al. 2011) or Gaussian Random Spheres (GRS) or RGF (Gielen et al. 200S). Pancakes, hollow spheres, or GRS shapes similar to wheat sheaf crystal habit (e.g., Volten et al. 2001; Veihelmann et al. 2006), however, do not have the sharp edges, flat faces, and vertices seen in images of cometary crystals in interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) or in Stardust samples. Cometary forsterite crystals often have equant or tabular crystal habit (J. Bradley). To simulate cometary crystals, we have computed absorption efficiencies of forsterite using the Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) DDSCAT code on NAS supercomputers. We compute thermal models that employ a size distribution of discrete irregularly shaped forsterite crystals (nonspherical shapes with faces and vertices) to explore how crystal shape affects the shape and wavelength positions of the forsterite spectral features and to explore whether cometary crystal shapes support either condensation or annealing scenarios (Lindsay et al. 2012a, b). We find forsterite crystal shapes that best-fit comet Hale-Bopp are tetrahedron, bricks or brick platelets, essentially equant or tabular (Lindsay et al. 2012a,b), commensurate with high temperature condensation experiments (Kobatake et al. 2008). We also have computed porous aggregates with crystal monomers and find that the crystal resonances are amplified. i.e., the crystalline fraction is lower in the aggregate than is derived by fitting a linear mix of spectral features from discrete subcomponents, and the crystal resonances 'appear' to be from larger crystals (Wooden et al. 2012). These results may indicate that the crystalline mass fraction in comets with comae dominated by aggregates may be lower than deduced by popular methods that only emoy ensembles of discrete crystals.

Wooden, Diane↗
NASA NTRS2010

Laboratory Annealing Experiments Of Refractory Silicate Grain Analogs Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Exothermic reactions during the annealing of laboratory synthesized amorphous magnesium-bearing silicate particles used as grain analogs of cosmic dust were detected by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in air. With infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, we show that cosmic dust could possibly undergo fusion to larger particles, with oxidation of magnesium silicide and crystallization of forsterite as exothermic reactions in the early solar system. The reactions begin at approximately 425, approximately 625, and approximately 1000 K, respectively, and the reaction energies (enthalpies) are at least 727, 4151, and 160.22 J per gram, respectively. During the crystallization of forsterite particles, the spectral evolution of the 10 micrometer feature from amorphous to crystalline was observed to begin at lower temperature than the crystallization temperature of 1003 K. During spectral evolution at lower temperature, nucleation and/or the formation of nanocrystallites of forsterite at the surface of the grain analogs was observed.

Kimura, Yuki↗
NASA NTRS1991

Effective gain measurements in chromium-doped forsterite

Effective gain cross section in tetravalent chromium-doped forsterite laser crystal was measured over the 1180-1330 nm spectral range. The experiment was performed using two collinear laser beams in a pump-and-probe arrangement. The peak-gain cross section from this measurement is estimated to be 1.9 x 10 to the -19th sq cm at 1215 nm, which is comparable to the value of about 2 x 10 to the -19th sq cm predicted by fluorescence linewidth and lifetime measurements. These results indicate that excited-state absorption is not a major loss mechanism in tetravalent chromium-doped forsterite.

Petricevic, V.↗
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 NTRS1983

Retention of ion-implemented-xenon in olivine - Dependence on implantation dose

The diffusion of Xe in olivine, a major mineral in both meteorites and linear 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 percent occurred for an implanting 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 percent 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. Previously announced in STAR as N83-18528

Melcher, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Thermal conductivity of earth materials at high temperatures.

The total thermal conductivity (lattice plus radiative) of several important earth materials is measured in the temperature range from 500 to 1900 K. A new technique is used in which a CO2 laser generates a low-frequency temperature wave at one face of a small disk-shaped sample, and an infrared detector views the opposite face to detect the phase of the emerging radiation. Phase data at several frequencies yield the simultaneous determination of the thermal diffusivity and the mean extinction coefficient of the material. The lattice, radiative, and total thermal conductivities are then calculated. Results for single-crystal and polycrystalline forsterite-rich olivines and an enstatite indicate that, even in relatively pure large-grained material, the radiative conductivity does not increase rapidly with temperature. The predicted maximum total thermal conductivity at a depth of 400 km in an olivine mantle is 0.020 cal/cm/sec/deg C, which is less than twice the surface value.

Schatz, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Cathodoluminescence zoning and minor elements in forsterites from the Murchison (C2) and Allende (C3V) carbonaceous chondrites

Cathodoluminescence has been applied to look for textural features of olivine in carbonaceous meteorites relevant to the unresolved dispute over the origin of the olivine, whether from a vapor or a liquid. Cathodoluminescence photographs of forsterite grains in Murchison (C2) and Allende (C3) meteorites presented here reveal a blue core with planar boundaries to a red or dark rim. High-precision electron microprobe analyses have been performed which reveal unusually large amounts of the 'minor' elements Al, Ti, and Ca in the blue cores of these forsterites, suggesting formation by crystallization at high temperatures from a source rich in these metals. Following conclusions drawn from previous analyses of olivine in meteorites, it is argued that the minor element signature should be able to characterize olivines in micrometeorites and in deep-sea particles.

Steele, I. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

An experimental evaluation of mineral-specific comminution

The comminution behavior of different mineral species subjected to incessant impact is investigated using targets consisting of 2-4-mm crystals of albite, augite, forsterite, of quartz, which were impacted at least 25 times at 1.4 km/sec by 3.18-mm stainless-steel spheres. Sieve analyses were performed after every five shots. It was found that the behaviors of the feldspar and quartz were virtually indistinguishable and that the olivine target produced the greatest proportion of fines. The pyroxene target was most resistant to comminution. The comminution was only mildly dependent on grain size.

Cintala, Mark J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Forsterite and Olivine in Sahara-97210 (LL3.2) and Chainpur (LL3.4) Chondrules: Compositional Evolution and the Influence of Melting

It is generally accepted that chondrules contain relict grains that did not crystallize in situ, and that forsterite is one type of relict grain which is a likely precursor for chondrules. Chemically and morphologically similar forsterite is also found as "isolated grains", especially in carbonaceous chondrites. Using SIMS, we analyzed forsterite, ferrous overgrowths around forsterite, and coexisting normal olivine in 5 chondrules and 2 isolated grains in the Sahara-97210 ('Sahara") LL3.2 chondrite. We earlier used the same methods to study olivine in 3 Chainpur chondrules that contain relict forsterite. Our new data for Sahara provide additional insight into the processes affecting chondrules and their precursors.

Ruzicka, A.↗