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- Tinetti, Giovanna, et al.
(författare)
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The EChO science case
- 2015
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Ingår i: Experimental astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 40:2-3, s. 329-391
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The discovery of almost two thousand exoplanets has revealed an unexpectedly diverse planet population. We see gas giants in few-day orbits, whole multi-planet systems within the orbit of Mercury, and new populations of planets with masses between that of the Earth and Neptune-all unknown in the Solar System. Observations to date have shown that our Solar System is certainly not representative of the general population of planets in our Milky Way. The key science questions that urgently need addressing are therefore: What are exoplanets made of? Why are planets as they are? How do planetary systems work and what causes the exceptional diversity observed as compared to the Solar System? The EChO (Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory) space mission was conceived to take up the challenge to explain this diversity in terms of formation, evolution, internal structure and planet and atmospheric composition. This requires in-depth spectroscopic knowledge of the atmospheres of a large and well-defined planet sample for which precise physical, chemical and dynamical information can be obtained. In order to fulfil this ambitious scientific program, EChO was designed as a dedicated survey mission for transit and eclipse spectroscopy capable of observing a large, diverse and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. The transit and eclipse spectroscopy method, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allows us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of at least 10(-4) relative to the star. This can only be achieved in conjunction with a carefully designed stable payload and satellite platform. It is also necessary to provide broad instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect as many molecular species as possible, to probe the thermal structure of the planetary atmospheres and to correct for the contaminating effects of the stellar photosphere. This requires wavelength coverage of at least 0.55 to 11 mu m with a goal of covering from 0.4 to 16 mu m. Only modest spectral resolving power is needed, with R similar to 300 for wavelengths less than 5 mu m and R similar to 30 for wavelengths greater than this. The transit spectroscopy technique means that no spatial resolution is required. A telescope collecting area of about 1 m(2) is sufficiently large to achieve the necessary spectro-photometric precision: for the Phase A study a 1.13 m(2) telescope, diffraction limited at 3 mu m has been adopted. Placing the satellite at L2 provides a cold and stable thermal environment as well as a large field of regard to allow efficient time-critical observation of targets randomly distributed over the sky. EChO has been conceived to achieve a single goal: exoplanet spectroscopy. The spectral coverage and signal-to-noise to be achieved by EChO, thanks to its high stability and dedicated design, would be a game changer by allowing atmospheric composition to be measured with unparalleled exactness: at least a factor 10 more precise and a factor 10 to 1000 more accurate than current observations. This would enable the detection of molecular abundances three orders of magnitude lower than currently possible and a fourfold increase from the handful of molecules detected to date. Combining these data with estimates of planetary bulk compositions from accurate measurements of their radii and masses would allow degeneracies associated with planetary interior modelling to be broken, giving unique insight into the interior structure and elemental abundances of these alien worlds. EChO would allow scientists to study exoplanets both as a population and as individuals. The mission can target super-Earths, Neptune-like, and Jupiter-like planets, in the very hot to temperate zones (planet temperatures of 300-3000 K) of F to M-type host stars. The EChO core science would be delivered by a three-tier survey. The EChO Chemical Census: This is a broad survey of a few-hundred exoplanets, which allows us to explore the spectroscopic and chemical diversity of the exoplanet population as a whole. The EChO Origin: This is a deep survey of a subsample of tens of exoplanets for which significantly higher signal to noise and spectral resolution spectra can be obtained to explain the origin of the exoplanet diversity (such as formation mechanisms, chemical processes, atmospheric escape). The EChO Rosetta Stones: This is an ultra-high accuracy survey targeting a subsample of select exoplanets. These will be the bright "benchmark" cases for which a large number of measurements would be taken to explore temporal variations, and to obtain two and three dimensional spatial information on the atmospheric conditions through eclipse-mapping techniques. If EChO were launched today, the exoplanets currently observed are sufficient to provide a large and diverse sample. The Chemical Census survey would consist of > 160 exoplanets with a range of planetary sizes, temperatures, orbital parameters and stellar host properties. Additionally, over the next 10 years, several new ground- and space-based transit photometric surveys and missions will come on-line (e.g. NGTS, CHEOPS, TESS, PLATO), which will specifically focus on finding bright, nearby systems. The current rapid rate of discovery would allow the target list to be further optimised in the years prior to EChO's launch and enable the atmospheric characterisation of hundreds of planets.
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| 3. |
- Lanza, Nina L., et al.
(författare)
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Oxidation of manganese in an ancient aquifer, Kimberley formation, Gale crater, Mars
- 2016
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Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 43:14, s. 7398-7407
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Curiosity rover observed high Mn abundances (>25wt % MnO) in fracture-filling materials that crosscut sandstones in the Kimberley region of Gale crater, Mars. The correlation between Mn and trace metal abundances plus the lack of correlation between Mn and elements such as S, Cl, and C, reveals that these deposits are Mn oxides rather than evaporites or other salts. On Earth, environments that concentrate Mn and deposit Mn minerals require water and highly oxidizing conditions; hence, these findings suggest that similar processes occurred on Mars. Based on the strong association between Mn-oxide deposition and evolving atmospheric dioxygen levels on Earth, the presence of these Mn phases on Mars suggests that there was more abundant molecular oxygen within the atmosphere and some groundwaters of ancient Mars than in the present day
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| 4. |
- Newsom, Horton E., et al.
(författare)
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Gale crater and impact processes – Curiosity’s first 364 Sols on Mars
- 2015
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Ingår i: Icarus. - : Elsevier BV. - 0019-1035 .- 1090-2643. ; 249, s. 108-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Impact processes at all scales have been involved in the formation and subsequent evolution of Gale crater. Small impact craters in the vicinity of the Curiosity MSL landing site and rover traverse during the 364 Sols after landing have been studied both from orbit and the surface. Evidence for the effect of impacts on basement outcrops may include loose blocks of sandstone and conglomerate, and disrupted (fractured) sedimentary layers, which are not obviously displaced by erosion. Impact ejecta blankets are likely to be present, but in the absence of distinct glass or impact melt phases are difficult to distinguish from sedimentary/volcaniclastic breccia and conglomerate deposits. The occurrence of individual blocks with diverse petrological characteristics, including igneous textures, have been identified across the surface of Bradbury Rise, and some of these blocks may represent distal ejecta from larger craters in the vicinity of Gale. Distal ejecta may also occur in the form of impact spherules identified in the sediments and drift material. Possible examples of impactites in the form of shatter cones, shocked rocks, and ropy textured fragments of materials that may have been molten have been observed, but cannot be uniquely confirmed. Modification by aeolian processes of craters smaller than 40 m in diameter observed in this study, are indicated by erosion of crater rims, and infill of craters with aeolian and airfall dust deposits. Estimates for resurfacing suggest that craters less than 15 m in diameter may represent steady state between production and destruction. The smallest candidate impact crater observed is ∼0.6 m in diameter. The observed crater record and other data are consistent with a resurfacing rate of the order of 10 mm/Myr; considerably greater than the rate from impact cratering alone, but remarkably lower than terrestrial erosion rates.
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| 5. |
- Antzutkin, Oleg, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring solid-state 17O NMR to distinguish secondary structures in Alzheimer's Aβ fibrils
- 2009
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Ingår i: Euromar 2009. ; , s. 107-
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It has been shown by a large number of studies that Alzheimer's disease (AD) amyloid-β-peptide (Aβ) deposits contribute directly to the disease's progressive neurodegeneration. Aggregation cascade for Aβ peptides, its relevance to neurotoxicity in the course of AD, various factors modulating Aβ aggregation kinetics and experimental methods useful for these studies were recently discussed [1]. Results of Tycko and co-workers point at neurotoxicity in vitro of the two different types of Alzheimer's amyloid fibrils dispersed by ultrasonication into small fragments [2]. The high toxicity of Aβ oligomers in vitro has been discussed by Stege et. al who have found that the molecular chaperone αB-crystallin prevents Aβ from forming amyloid fibrils but nevertheless enhances Aβ toxicity [3]. Glabe and co-workes successfully prepared antibodies for Aβ oligomers and small spherical aggregates using nanogold technology [4]. They also have shown that these antibodies decrease toxicity of Aβ for SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell cultures in vitro [4]. In this concern both structure of Aβ-oligomers/fibrils and the specific interaction (aggregation/fusion) of Aβ peptides with nerve cell membranes is of a particular importance [5].We explore Solid-State 17O NMR on selectively 17O,13C,15N-labeled Aβ(1-40), Aβ(11-25) and Ac-Aβ(16-22)-NH2 peptides to distinguish a parallel and anti-parallel β-sheet secondary structures in β-NH2 peptides to distinguish a parallel and anti-parallel β-sheet secondary structures in amyloid fibrils. Aβ(1-40) fibrils form in-registry parallel β-sheets [6], while Aβ(11-25) [7] and Ac-Aβ(16-22)-NH2 [8] form different anti-parallel β-sheet structures, which were previously identified β-NH2 [8] form different anti-parallel β-sheet structures, which were previously identified by 13C multiple-quantum and 13C{15N} REDOR solid-state NMR. In our unpublished work presented here it was found that 17O NMR chemical shifts are sensitive to the type of the secondary structure, i. e. a parallel vs. an anti-parallel β-sheet structures, while the quadrupolar parameters of 17O nuclei unexpectedly do not vary beyond the error limits in the simulated lineshapes of both fibrillized and unfibrillized peptide systems. Results of more advanced solidstate NMR techniques to measure heteronuclear distances, 15N{17O}-REAPDOR, 15N{17O}-TRAPDOR and 17O{15N}-REDOR on selectively 17O-Val18 and 15N-Phe20 labeled Ac-Aβ(16-22)-NH2 fibrils will be also discussed. These novel solid-state NMR experiments will provide additional tools for measuring hydrogen bonding in different secondary structures of peptides in amyloid fibrils.[1.] O.N.Antzutkin, Magn. Reson. Chem. 42 (2004) 231-246; [2.] A.Petkova et al. Science 307 (2005) 262-265; [3.] G.J.J.Stege, et al. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 262 (1999) 152-156;[4.] R.Kayed et al. Science, 300 (2003) 486-489; [5.] M.Bokvist, et al. J. Mol. Biol. 335 (2004) 1039-1049; [6.] O.N. Antzutkin, et al. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci, U.S.A., 97 (2000) 13045-13050;[7.] A.T. Petkova, et al. J. Mol. Biol., 335 (2004) 247-260;[8.] J.J. Balbach, Y. (2000) 13045-13050; [9] A.T. Petkova, (2004) 247-260; [10] J.J. Balbach, Y.Ishii, O.N. Antzutkin, et al. Biochemistry 39 (2000) 13748-13759.
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