Identification of molecular-cloud material in interplanetary dust particles. 2000

S Messenger
McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Physics Department, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899, USA. dbunny@howdy.wustl.edu

Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) collected in the Earth's stratosphere and meteorites are fragments of comets and asteroids. These are 'primitive' meteorites in part because they have preserved materials which predate the formation of the Solar System. The most primitive (least altered) meteorites contain a few parts per million of micrometre-sized dust which formed in the atmospheres of giant stars. Some meteorites have elevated D/H and 15N/14N ratios that are attributed to surviving interstellar organic molecules which have probably been strongly diluted and altered by parent-body processes. Most IDPs are chemically, mineralogically, and texturally primitive in comparison to meteorites. Here I show that H and N isotopic anomalies among fragile 'cluster' IDPs are far larger, more common, and less equilibrated than those previously observed in other IDPs or meteorites. In some cases, the D/H ratios that we measure reach the values of interstellar molecules, suggesting that molecular-cloud material has survived intact. These observations indicate that cluster IDPs are the most primitive class of Solar System materials currently available for laboratory analysis.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009587 Nitrogen Isotopes Stable nitrogen atoms that have the same atomic number as the element nitrogen but differ in atomic weight. N-15 is a stable nitrogen isotope. Nitrogen Isotope,Isotope, Nitrogen,Isotopes, Nitrogen
D002247 Carbon Isotopes Stable carbon atoms that have the same atomic number as the element carbon but differ in atomic weight. C-13 is a stable carbon isotope. Carbon Isotope,Isotope, Carbon,Isotopes, Carbon
D005118 Extraterrestrial Environment The environment outside the earth or its atmosphere. The environment may refer to a closed cabin (such as a space shuttle or space station) or to space itself, the moon, or other planets. Space (Astronomy),Environment, Extraterrestrial,Environments, Extraterrestrial,Extraterrestrial Environments,Spaces (Astronomy)
D006859 Hydrogen The first chemical element in the periodic table with atomic symbol H, and atomic number 1. Protium (atomic weight 1) is by far the most common hydrogen isotope. Hydrogen also exists as the stable isotope DEUTERIUM (atomic weight 2) and the radioactive isotope TRITIUM (atomic weight 3). Hydrogen forms into a diatomic molecule at room temperature and appears as a highly flammable colorless and odorless gas. Protium,Hydrogen-1
D019443 Cosmic Dust Finely divided solid matter with particle sizes smaller than a micrometeorite, thus with diameters much smaller than a millimeter, moving in interplanetary space. (NASA Thesaurus, 1994) Interplanetary Dust,Interstellar Dust,Cosmic Dusts,Dust, Cosmic,Dust, Interplanetary,Dust, Interstellar,Dusts, Cosmic,Dusts, Interplanetary,Dusts, Interstellar,Interplanetary Dusts,Interstellar Dusts

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