scholarly journals Evolution of Mercury’s Earliest Atmosphere

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 230
Author(s):  
Noah Jäggi ◽  
Diana Gamborino ◽  
Dan J. Bower ◽  
Paolo A. Sossi ◽  
Aaron S. Wolf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Total Mass ◽  
Chemical Exchange ◽  
Plasma Heating ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Heating Efficiency ◽  
Atmospheric Escape ◽  
Total Mass Loss ◽  
Early Atmosphere

Abstract MESSENGER observations suggest a magma ocean formed on proto-Mercury, during which evaporation of metals and outgassing of C- and H-bearing volatiles produced an early atmosphere. Atmospheric escape subsequently occurred by plasma heating, photoevaporation, Jeans escape, and photoionization. To quantify atmospheric loss, we combine constraints on the lifetime of surficial melt, melt composition, and atmospheric composition. Consideration of two initial Mercury sizes and four magma ocean compositions determines the atmospheric speciation at a given surface temperature. A coupled interior–atmosphere model determines the cooling rate and therefore the lifetime of surficial melt. Combining the melt lifetime and escape flux calculations provides estimates for the total mass loss from early Mercury. Loss rates by Jeans escape are negligible. Plasma heating and photoionization are limited by homopause diffusion rates of ∼106 kg s−1. Loss by photoevaporation depends on the timing of Mercury formation and assumed heating efficiency and ranges from ∼106.6 to ∼109.6 kg s−1. The material for photoevaporation is sourced from below the homopause and is therefore energy limited rather than diffusion limited. The timescale for efficient interior–atmosphere chemical exchange is less than 10,000 yr. Therefore, escape processes only account for an equivalent loss of less than 2.3 km of crust (0.3% of Mercury’s mass). Accordingly, ≤0.02% of the total mass of H2O and Na is lost. Therefore, cumulative loss cannot significantly modify Mercury’s bulk mantle composition during the magma ocean stage. Mercury’s high core:mantle ratio and volatile-rich surface may instead reflect chemical variations in its building blocks resulting from its solar-proximal accretion environment.

Implications of magma oceans for astrophysical observations: mass-radius and atmospheric composition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan J. Bower ◽  
Daniel Kitzmann ◽  
Aaron Wolf ◽  
Patrick Sanan ◽  
Caroline Dorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Building Blocks ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Terrestrial Planets ◽  
Iron Core ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Static Structure ◽  
Emission Data ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Magma Oceans ◽  
Structure Calculations

<div> <div> <div> <p>The earliest secondary atmosphere of a rocky planet originates from extensive volatile release during one or more magma ocean epochs that occur during and after the assembly of the planet. Magma oceans set the stage for the long-term evolution of terrestrial planets by establishing the major chemical reservoirs of the iron core and silicate mantle, chemical stratification within the mantle, and outgassed atmosphere. Furthermore, current and future exoplanet observations will favour the detection and characterisation of hot and warm planets, potentially with large outgassed atmospheres. In this study, we highlight the potential to combine models of coupled interior–atmosphere evolution with static structure calculations and modelled atmospheric spectra (transmission and emission). By combining these components in a common modelling framework, we acknowledge planets as dynamic entities and leverage their evolution to bridge planet formation, interior-atmosphere interaction, and observations.</p> <p>An interior–atmosphere model is combined with static structure calculations to track the evolving radius of a hot rocky mantle that is outgassing volatiles. We consider oxidised species CO2 and H2O and generate synthetic emission and transmission spectra for CO2 and H2O dominated atmospheres. Atmospheres dominated by CO2 suppress the outgassing of H2O to a greater extent than previously realised, since previous studies have applied an erroneous relationship between volatile mass and partial pressure. Furthermore, formation of a lid at the surface can tie the outgassing of H2O to the efficiency of heat transport through the lid, rather than the radiative timescale of the atmosphere. We extend this work to explore the speciation of a primary atmosphere that is constrained using meteoritic materials as proxies for the planetary building blocks, and find that a range of reducing and oxidising atmospheres are possible.</p> </div> </div> </div><div> <div> <div> <p>Our results demonstrate that a hot molten planet can have a radius several percent larger (about 5%, assuming Earth-like core size) than its equivalent solid counterpart, which may explain the larger radii of some close-in exoplanets. Outgassing of a low molar mass species (such as H2O, compared to CO2) can combat the continual contraction of a planetary mantle and even marginally increase the planetary radius. We further use our models to generate synthetic transmission and emission data to aid in the detection and characterisation of rocky planets via transits and secondary eclipses. Atmospheres of terrestrial planets around M-stars that are dominated by CO2 versus H2O could be distinguished by future observing facilities that have extended wavelength coverage (e.g., JWST). Incomplete magma ocean crystallisation, as may be the case for close-in terrestrial planets, or full or part retention of an early outgassed atmosphere, should be considered in the interpretation of observational data from current and future observing facilities.</p> </div> </div> </div>

A magma ocean origin for Mercury's earliest exosphere

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Gamborino ◽  
Noah Jäggi ◽  
Dan J. Bower ◽  
Aaron Wolf ◽  
Paolo Sossi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Composition ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Initial Surface ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Loss Mechanism ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Enstatite Chondrite ◽  
Atmospheric Loss ◽  
Rapid Evacuation

<p>MESSENGER observations used to constrain surface composition suggest a global magma ocean formed on early Mercury [1, 2]. Our study models the coupled evolution of the Hermean magma ocean and atmosphere, and determines the extent of exospheric loss from an atmosphere formed by evaporation of a magma ocean. Using our framework to couple the interior and exterior chemical reservoirs, we evaluate a range of possible atmospheric evolution scenarios for early Mercury. These include the possibility that Mercury was fully-accreted before a mantle stripping event caused by a giant impact [3] led to degassing, or alternatively that the building blocks of Mercury were already relatively volatile-free.</p> <p>Assuming an initial surface temperature of 2500 K and an oxygen fugacity fixed at 1 log unit below the Iron-Wüstite buffer, we find that the Hermean magma ocean cooled to 1500 K (the rheological transition) in around 400 to 9000 yrs, depending on the efficiency of radiative heat transfer in the atmosphere. We investigate the behaviour of two endmember cases: (1) a present-day sized Mercury that is volatile free and thus cools in a manner similar to that of a blackbody, and (2) a larger Mercury that is sufficiently volatile-rich to provide a greenhouse atmosphere that delays cooling. During the magma ocean stage, evaporation and sublimation of oxide components from the molten silicate magma contribute to the growth of the atmosphere, in addition to volatile outgassing. For the endmember case with initial volatile abundances based on enstatite chondrite-like precursors, the atmosphere is dominated by CO, CO<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>, and H<sub>2</sub>O, with minor abundances of SiO, Na, K, Mg, and Fe gas species. For the endmember case without major volatiles (C, H), the atmospheric composition is dominated by metal- and metal oxide gas species only.</p> <p>We apply a Monte Carlo (MC) atmospheric loss model [4] to calculate exospheric losses for all pathways and find that photoionization is the dominant loss mechanism for early Mercury. Cases both with and without major volatiles reveal that the atmosphere lasts between 100 and 250 years before the near-surface of Mercury becomes solid. Preliminary MC results show that photo-dissociation considerably alters the atmospheric composition, efficiently breaking SiO<sub>2</sub> into SiO<sup>+</sup> and O. Solar wind and magnetospheric plasma leads to rapid evacuation of the ionized species from the neutral exosphere whereas oxygen is lost efficiently by Jeans escape.</p> <p>Using our coupled framework, future modelling efforts will aim to understand if and how the evaporation of the magma ocean of early Mercury has modified its surface composition, with a view to interpreting BepiColombo observations. Hence our work provides an important step to connect Mercury’s formation, earliest evolution, and upcoming observations.</p> <p>References: [1] Vander Kaaden, K. E. and McCubbin, F. M. (2016). Cosmochim. Ac., 173, 246–263. [2] Berthet, S., Malavergne, V., and Righter, K. (2009). Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 73(20), 6402–6420. [3] Benz, W., et al. (2008). Mercury, pp. 7–20. Springer. [4] Wurz, P., and Lammer, H. (2003). <em>Icarus</em>, <em>164</em>(1), 1–13</p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

Leaching of Am-241 from a Radioactive Waste Glass Corroded in the Presence of Stainless Steel Corrosion Products and/or Bentonite

1987 ◽  
Vol 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaki Tsukamoto ◽  
Inga-Kari Björner ◽  
Hilbert Christensen ◽  
Hans-Peter Hermansson ◽  
Lars Werme
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Total Mass ◽  
Corrosion Behaviour ◽  
Steel Corrosion ◽  
Waste Glass ◽  
Corrosion Products ◽  
Total Mass Loss ◽  
Elemental Mass

AbstractThe release of Am-241 during corrosion of the radioactive waste glass, JSS-A, has been studied in the presence of corrosion products and/or uncom-pacted bentonite. The corrosion behaviour of Am-241 has been analyzed using gamma spectrometry. Adsorption of Am-241 on bentonite is observed in all cases. The contents of Am-241 in centrifuged leachates are in most cases less than 1/100 of total values. The normalized elemental mass loss of Am increases initially with corrosion time, and the values in the presence of bentonite and corrosion products are larger than those in the presence of bentonite alone. This tendency is in agreement with results previously found for other elements. The release of Am is low, only about 10–20 % of the corresponding total mass loss.

Evaluation of the Addition of α-Al2O3 on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties in Binding Geopolymer

2015 ◽  
Vol 820 ◽  
pp. 497-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danubia Lisbôa da Costa ◽  
Rosiane Maria da Costa Farias ◽  
Aluska Nascimento Simões Braga ◽  
Romualdo Rodrigues Menezes ◽  
Gelmires de Araujo Neves
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Analysis ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Total Mass ◽  
Mechanical And Thermal Properties ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Total Mass Loss ◽  
Alumina Addition ◽  
Enhanced Properties ◽  
Geopolymer Binder

Several years ago the study on modification of existing materials that have enhanced properties has gained prominence. In this scenario, the geopolymeric binders, currently widely used in the construction industry have emerged. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of alumina addition on the mechanical and thermal properties of metakaolin in geopolymer binder. The geopolymers were synthesized from mixtures of metakaolin/alumina and sodium hydroxide, pressed and characterized by diffraction of X-ray and differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric. Two types of alumina were used in different amounts (14% and 7%) in order to evaluate the effect of the load binder obtained. It can be seen that the incorporation of alumina into the system caused an increase in strength of products obtained as well as a reduction in total mass loss of the sample , especially when the use of fine alumina.

scholarly journals Spectrophotometric characterization of the Philae landing site and surroundings with the Rosetta/OSIRIS cameras

2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (1) ◽  
pp. 1221-1238
Author(s):  
Hong Van Hoang ◽  
S Fornasier ◽  
E Quirico ◽  
P H Hasselmann ◽  
M A Barucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Total Mass ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Landing Site ◽  
Spectral Slope ◽  
Water Ice ◽  
Total Mass Loss ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Comet 67P ◽  
Cometary Activity

ABSTRACT We investigate Abydos, the final landing site of the Philae lander after its eventful landing from the Rosetta spacecraft on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 2014 November 12. Over 1000 OSIRIS-level 3B images were analysed, which cover the 2014 August–2016 September timeframe, with spatial resolution ranging from 7.6 m pixel−1 to approximately 0.06 m pixel−1. We found that the Abydos site is as dark as the global 67P nucleus and spectrally red, with an average albedo of 6.5 per cent at 649 nm and a spectral slope value of about 17 per cent/(100 nm) at 50° phase angle. Similar to the whole nucleus, the Abydos site also shows phase reddening but with lower coefficients than other regions of the comet, which may imply a thinner cover of microscopically rough regolith compared to other areas. Seasonal variations, as already noticed for the whole nucleus, were also observed. We identified some potential morphological changes near the landing site implying a total mass-loss of (4.7–7.0) × 105 kg. Small spots ranging from 0.1 to 27 m2 were observed close to Abydos before and after perihelion. Their estimated water ice abundance reaches 30–40 per cent locally, indicating fresh exposures of volatiles. Their lifetime ranges from a few hours up to three months for two pre-perihelion spots. The Abydos surroundings showed a low level of cometary activity compared to other regions of the nucleus. Only a few jets are reported originating nearby Abydos, including a bright outburst that lasted for about 1 h.

scholarly journals The Mass of the Atmosphere: A Constraint on Global Analyses

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 864-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin E. Trenberth ◽  
Lesley Smith
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Total Mass ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Air Mass ◽  
Dry Air ◽  
Annual Range ◽  
Global Mean

Abstract The total mass of the atmosphere varies mainly from changes in water vapor loading; the former is proportional to global mean surface pressure and the water vapor component is computed directly from specific humidity and precipitable water using the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analyses (ERA-40). Their difference, the mass of the dry atmosphere, is estimated to be constant for the equivalent surface pressure to within 0.01 hPa based on changes in atmospheric composition. Global reanalyses satisfy this constraint for monthly means for 1979–2001 with a standard deviation of 0.065 hPa. New estimates of the total mass of the atmosphere and its dry component, and their corresponding surface pressures, are larger than previous estimates owing to new topography of the earth’s surface that is 5.5 m lower for the global mean. Global mean total surface pressure is 985.50 hPa, 0.9 hPa higher than previous best estimates. The total mean mass of the atmosphere is 5.1480 × 1018 kg with an annual range due to water vapor of 1.2 or 1.5 × 1015 kg depending on whether surface pressure or water vapor data are used; this is somewhat smaller than the previous estimate. The mean mass of water vapor is estimated as 1.27 × 1016 kg and the dry air mass as 5.1352 ± 0.0003 × 1018 kg. The water vapor contribution varies with an annual cycle of 0.29-hPa, a maximum in July of 2.62 hPa, and a minimum in December of 2.33 hPa, although the total global surface pressure has a slightly smaller range. During the 1982/83 and 1997/98 El Niño events, water vapor amounts and thus total mass increased by about 0.1 hPa in surface pressure or 0.5 × 1015 kg for several months. Some evidence exists for slight decreases following the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991 and also for upward trends associated with increasing global mean temperatures, but uncertainties due to the changing observing system compromise the evidence. The physical constraint of conservation of dry air mass is violated in the reanalyses with increasing magnitude prior to the assimilation of satellite data in both ERA-40 and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) reanalyses. The problem areas are shown to occur especially over the Southern Oceans. Substantial spurious changes are also found in surface pressures due to water vapor, especially in the Tropics and subtropics prior to 1979.

scholarly journals Determining the origin of the building blocks of the Ice Giants based on analogue measurements from comets

2019 ◽  
Vol 491 (1) ◽  
pp. 488-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
K E Mandt ◽  
O Mousis ◽  
S Treat
Keyword(s):  
Noble Gas ◽  
Giant Planet ◽  
Solid Material ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Isotopic Ratios ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Formation Conditions ◽  
Comet 67P

ABSTRACT The abundances of the heavy elements and isotopic ratios in the present atmospheres of the giant planets can be used to trace the composition of volatiles that were present in the icy solid material that contributed to their formation. The first definitive measurements of noble gas abundances and isotope ratios at comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P/C–G) were recently published by Marty et al. (2017) and Rubin et al. (2018, 2019). The implications of these abundances for the formation conditions of the 67P/C–G building blocks were then evaluated by Mousis et al. (2018a). We add here an analysis of the implications of these results for understanding the formation conditions of the building blocks of the Ice Giants and discuss how future measurements of Ice Giant atmospheric composition can be interpreted. We first evaluate the best approach for comparing comet observations with giant planet composition, and then determine what would be the current composition of the Ice Giant atmospheres based on four potential sources for their building blocks. We provide four scenarios for the origin of the Ice Giants building blocks based on four primary constraints for building block composition: (1) the bulk abundance of carbon relative to nitrogen, (2) noble gas abundances relative to carbon and nitrogen, (3) abundance ratios Kr/Ar and Xe/Ar, and (4) Xe isotopic ratios. In situ measurements of these quantities by a Galileo-like entry probe in the atmosphere(s) of Uranus and/or Neptune should place important constraints on the formation conditions of the Ice Giants.

Dose-Rate Dependence of Radiation Damage in Polymers

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 800-801
Author(s):  
R.F. Egerton ◽  
I. Rauf
Keyword(s):  
Energy Loss ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Dose Rate ◽  
Radiation Damage ◽  
Total Mass ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Low Loss ◽  
Total Mass Loss ◽  
Diffraction Patterns ◽  
Accumulated Dose

Three aspects of radiation damage are of concern to electron microscopists: changes in crystallographic or molecular structure, mass loss and change in chemical composition. Structural change can be monitored from the fading of diffraction patterns or from loss of fine structure in an energy-loss spectrum. Total mass loss, in the form of a reduction in inelastic-scattering power, can be observed from the low-loss spectrum. Mass loss can also be monitored from energy-loss ionization edges, with the advantage that the loss of particular elements can be studied separately. It is possible to assign a characteristic dose De for the disappearance of a particular element.At room temperature, the amount of damage usually depends on the accumulated dose (exposure) but not on the dose rate (current density). However, cooling the specimen tends to reduce mass loss, probably because of the reduced diffusion coefficients.

scholarly journals Redox state of Earth’s magma ocean and its Venus-like early atmosphere

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (48) ◽  
pp. eabd1387
Author(s):  
Paolo A. Sossi ◽  
Antony D. Burnham ◽  
James Badro ◽  
Antonio Lanzirotti ◽  
Matt Newville ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Fugacity ◽  
Redox State ◽  
Magma Ocean ◽  
Earth’S Atmosphere ◽  
Terrestrial Atmosphere ◽  
Early Atmosphere ◽  
Earth's Atmosphere ◽  
The Relationship

Exchange between a magma ocean and vapor produced Earth’s earliest atmosphere. Its speciation depends on the oxygen fugacity (fO2) set by the Fe3+/Fe2+ ratio of the magma ocean at its surface. Here, we establish the relationship between fO2 and Fe3+/Fe2+ in quenched liquids of silicate Earth-like composition at 2173 K and 1 bar. Mantle-derived rocks have Fe3+/(Fe3++Fe2+) = 0.037 ± 0.005, at which the magma ocean defines an fO2 0.5 log units above the iron-wüstite buffer. At this fO2, the solubilities of H-C-N-O species in the magma ocean produce a CO-rich atmosphere. Cooling and condensation of H2O would have led to a prebiotic terrestrial atmosphere composed of CO2-N2, in proportions and at pressures akin to those observed on Venus. Present-day differences between Earth’s atmosphere and those of her planetary neighbors result from Earth’s heliocentric location and mass, which allowed geologically long-lived oceans, in-turn facilitating CO2 drawdown and, eventually, the development of life.

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