| 1. |
- Freund, Friedemann T., et al.
(author)
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Stress-activated electric currents in icy planetary bodies : H2O2-doped H2O ices
- 2021
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In: Icarus. - : Academic Press Inc.. - 0019-1035 .- 1090-2643. ; 358
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Planetary satellites such as the Jovian moon Europa and several Kuiper Belt objects (including Pluto) have surfaces consisting largely of H2O ice, which is brittle and behaves as a rock at the low temperatures that prevail in the outer Solar System. Several of those ice-crusted bodies show evidence of tectonic activity indicating high levels of stress. This paper reports on laboratory experiments with pure H2O ice and H2O2–doped H2O ices with H2O2 concentration levels comparable to those in the ices of Europa. Elongated rectangular ice blocks at T = −81 °C [192 K] were stressed at one end to test whether electric currents are generated and capable of flowing down the stress gradient. Pure H2O ice was found to not produce currents above the 10−10 A background level except for occasional transients in the 10−9–10−8 A range during fracture or rapid plastic deformation due to electrons, e’. By contrast, stressing H2O2-doped H2O ices consistently produced electric currents in the 10−7–10−5 A range, due to holes, h•, propagating from the stressed end to the unstressed end. The h• charge carriers are generated by the break-up of peroxy bonds of H2O2 molecules, leading to O−, equivalent to defect electrons or holes h• in the O2− matrix. © 2020
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| 2. |
- Gray, Amber, et al.
(author)
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An Intense Wave in Defective Media Containing Both Quadratic and Modular Nonlinearities : Shock Waves, Harmonics, and Nondestructive Testing
- 2018
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In: Acoustical Physics. - : Pleiades Publishing. - 1063-7710 .- 1562-6865. ; 64:4, s. 402-407
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The observed nonclassical power-law dependence of the amplitude of the second harmonic wave on the amplitude of a harmonic pump wave is explained as a phenomenon associated with two types of nonlinearity in a structurally inhomogeneous medium. An approach to solving the inverse problem of determining the nonlinearity parameters and the exponent in the above-mentioned dependence is demonstrated. To describe the effects of strongly pronounced nonlinearity, equations containing a double nonlinearity and generalizing the Hopf and Burgers equations are proposed. The possibility of their exact linearization is demonstrated. The profiles, spectral composition, and average wave intensity in such doubly nonlinear media are calculated. The shape of the shock front is found, and its width is estimated. The wave energy losses that depend on both nonlinearity parameters—quadratic and modular—are calculated. © 2018, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.
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| 3. |
- Payler, S.J., et al.
(author)
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Planetary science and exploration in the deep subsurface : results from the MINAR Program, Boulby Mine, UK
- 2017
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In: International Journal of Astrobiology. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1473-5504 .- 1475-3006. ; 16:2, s. 114-129
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The subsurface exploration of other planetary bodies can be used to unravel their geological history and assess their habitability. On Mars in particular, present-day habitable conditions may be restricted to the subsurface. Using a deep subsurface mine, we carried out a program of extraterrestrial analog research – MINe Analog Research (MINAR). MINAR aims to carry out the scientific study of the deep subsurface and test instrumentation designed for planetary surface exploration by investigating deep subsurface geology, whilst establishing the potential this technology has to be transferred into the mining industry. An integrated multi-instrument suite was used to investigate samples of representative evaporite minerals from a subsurface Permian evaporite sequence, in particular to assess mineral and elemental variations which provide small-scale regions of enhanced habitability. The instruments used were the Panoramic Camera emulator, Close-Up Imager, Raman spectrometer, Small Planetary Linear Impulse Tool, Ultrasonic drill and handheld X-ray diffraction (XRD). We present science results from the analog research and show that these instruments can be used to investigate in situ the geological context and mineralogical variations of a deep subsurface environment, and thus habitability, from millimetre to metre scales. We also show that these instruments are complementary. For example, the identification of primary evaporite minerals such as NaCl and KCl, which are difficult to detect by portable Raman spectrometers, can be accomplished with XRD. By contrast, Raman is highly effective at locating and detecting mineral inclusions in primary evaporite minerals. MINAR demonstrates the effective use of a deep subsurface environment for planetary instrument development, understanding the habitability of extreme deep subsurface environments on Earth and other planetary bodies, and advancing the use of space technology in economic mining. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016
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