From organic chemistry in small bodies of the solar system to low temperature chemistry in the universe

1995 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.C. Levasseur-Regourd ◽  
F. Raulin
2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S251) ◽  
pp. 437-440
Author(s):  
Max Bernstein

AbstractPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and related aromatic materials are thought to be the most abudant class of organic carbon in the universe, being present in virtually all phases of the ISM, and abundant in carbonaceous meteorites and asteroid and comet dust. The basic PAH skeleton is proposed to have formed in outflows of carbon rich stars, and isotopic measurements of extraterrestrial graphitic carbon is consistent with this notion. However, functionalized aromatics bearing oxygen atoms, aliphatic domains, and deuterium enrichments have been extracted from meteorites and more recently been measured in IDPs and Stardust retuned comet samples. Exposure of remnant circumstellar PAHs to energetic processing at low temperature in the presense of H2O is the most parsimonious explanation for these observations.We will present laboratory infrared spectra of various aromatic species and PAH cations in solid H2O under conditions relevant for comparsion to absorptions attributed to PAHs observed towards objects embedded in dense clouds. In addition, we shall describe the reactions of PAHs under these conditions in the lab when they are exposed to energetic processing. Finally, we will propose a mechanism, and make specific predictions regarding the structures and distribution of deuterium that should be observed in extraterrestrial samples if low temperature ice radiation chemistry is playing a role in the formation of the molecules seen in Solar System materials.


Author(s):  
Karel Schrijver

How many planetary systems formed before our’s did, and how many will form after? How old is the average exoplanet in the Galaxy? When did the earliest planets start forming? How different are the ages of terrestrial and giant planets? And, ultimately, what will the fate be of our Solar System, of the Milky Way Galaxy, and of the Universe around us? We cannot know the fate of individual exoplanets with great certainty, but based on population statistics this chapter sketches the past, present, and future of exoworlds and of our Earth in general terms.


Author(s):  
Jan Zalasiewicz

This is the story of a single pebble. It is just a normal pebble, as you might pick up on holiday - on a beach in Wales, say. Its history, though, carries us into abyssal depths of time, and across the farthest reaches of space. This is a narrative of the Earth's long and dramatic history, as gleaned from a single pebble. It begins as the pebble-particles form amid unimaginable violence in distal realms of the Universe, in the Big Bang and in supernova explosions and continues amid the construction of the Solar System. Jan Zalasiewicz shows the almost incredible complexity present in such a small and apparently mundane object. Many events in the Earth's ancient past can be deciphered from a pebble: volcanic eruptions; the lives and deaths of extinct animals and plants; the alien nature of long-vanished oceans; and transformations deep underground, including the creations of fool's gold and of oil. Zalasiewicz demonstrates how geologists reach deep into the Earth's past by forensic analysis of even the tiniest amounts of mineral matter. Many stories are crammed into each and every pebble around us. It may be small, and ordinary, this pebble - but it is also an eloquent part of our Earth's extraordinary, never-ending story.


2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (4) ◽  
pp. 5091-5099
Author(s):  
Dragan Slavkov Hajdukovic ◽  
Sergej Walter

ABSTRACT In a recent paper, quantum vacuum was considered as a source of gravity, and the simplest, phenomenon, the gravitational polarization of the quantum vacuum by an immersed point-like body, was studied. In this paper, we have derived the effective gravitational charge density of the quantum vacuum, caused by two immersed point-like bodies. Among others, the obtained result proves that quantum vacuum can have regions with a negative effective gravitational charge density. Hence, quantum vacuum, the ‘ocean’ in which all matter of the Universe is immersed, acts as a complex fluid with a very variable gravitational charge density that might include both positive and negative densities; a crucial prediction that can be tested within the Solar system. In the general case of ${N \ge {\rm{3}}}$ point-like bodies, immersed in the quantum vacuum, the analytical solutions are not possible, and the use of numerical methods is inevitable. The key point is that an appropriate numerical method, for the calculation of the effective gravitational charge density of the quantum vacuum induced by N immersed bodies, might be crucial in description of galaxies, without the involvement of dark matter or a modification of gravity. The development of such a valuable numerical method, is not possible, without a previous (and in this study achieved) understanding of the impact of a two-body system.


Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Walaa Elmasry ◽  
Yoko Kebukawa ◽  
Kensei Kobayashi

The extraterrestrial delivery of organics to primitive Earth has been supported by many laboratory and space experiments. Minerals played an important role in the evolution of meteoritic organic matter. In this study, we simulated aqueous alteration in small bodies by using a solution mixture of H2CO and NH3 in the presence of water at 150 °C under different heating durations, which produced amino acids after acid hydrolysis. Moreover, minerals were added to the previous mixture to examine their catalyzing/inhibiting impact on amino acid formation. Without minerals, glycine was the dominant amino acid obtained at 1 d of the heating experiment, while alanine and β-alanine increased significantly and became dominant after 3 to 7 d. Minerals enhanced the yield of amino acids at short heating duration (1 d); however, they induced their decomposition at longer heating duration (7 d). Additionally, montmorillonite enhanced amino acid production at 1 d, while olivine and serpentine enhanced production at 3 d. Molecular weight distribution in the whole of the products obtained by gel chromatography showed that minerals enhanced both decomposition and combination of molecules. Our results indicate that minerals affected the formation of amino acids in aqueous environments in small Solar System bodies and that the amino acids could have different response behaviors according to different minerals.


2021 ◽  
pp. 87-93
Author(s):  
Abhijith Ram C ◽  
D Ajith

Space travel has always been a crucial task. Exploration and experimenting on Planets in our solar system will help us understand the universe better and also, we could find the origin of life. Rovers play an important role in finding these answers. The problem we have at present is not only with technology to explore the universe but also the ability of our rockets to carry rovers to other rocks. Since a large amount of fuel is required for Space travel, we end with very little cargo that can be sent to explore. As additive manufacturing started to play a vital part in Mechanical Science, we are going to try to use that tool to build a Generative design that helps in parts consolidation, weight reduction, increase flexibility, design optimisation and cost consolidation. Since weight is an important aspect, we could reduce the present rover weight and add additional scientific tools to the rover to increase its scope of search and applications. This project focuses on features enrichment in Rovers by optimizing rover weight and design using Design for Additive Manufacturing concept.


2019 ◽  
pp. 125-144
Author(s):  
J. F. Griffiths ◽  
J. A. Barnard

2018 ◽  
pp. 395-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia de León ◽  
Javier Licandro ◽  
Noemí Pinilla-Alonso

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