8733
Accession Number
32017
Title Of Article Chaper
TOF-SIMS analysis of cometary matter in Stardust aerogel tracks
Title Of Journal Book
Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Volume
43
Issue
44198
Pages
233-246
Collation
14 p. : ills.
Reference Bibliography
Includes bibliographic references
Language Of Text
English
Literature Type
Serial
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
Cometary matter in aerogel samples from the Stardust mission was investigated with TOF-SIMS for its elemental and organic composition. While single grains >1 [mu]m are highly variable in their chemical composition, nanometer-scale material found in the wall of one track has within a factor of 1.22 bulk CI chondritic element ratios relative to Fe for Na, Mg, Al, Ti, Cr, Mn, and Co. Compared to a CI, a depletion in Ca by a factor of four and an enrichment in Ni by a factor of two was observed. These results seem to confirm recent reports of a CI-like bulk composition of Wild 2. The analysis of organic compounds in aerogel samples is complicated by the presence of contaminants in the capture medium. However, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that could possibly be attributed to the comet were observed.
Keywords
sims;comet;analysis;matter;aerogel
pub_id
8733