20-EPN-004: Spectroscopy of Shock Processed Planetary Analogues Mimicking Impact Events on the Surface of Mercury
Visit by Arijit Roy and Wafikul Khan of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad (India) to TA2 Facility 5 – DLR Planetary Spectroscopy Laboratory (Germany).
Dates of visit: 09-13 October 2023
Report Summary: The surface of the airless Solar System bodies has been modified both physically as well as chemically by the impacts induced shock processing. Planetary scientist uses multispectral
remote sensing technique to understand the surface chemistry of these airless planetary bodies. Different spectral ranges reveal distinct descriptions and characteristics of the observed planetary surface. Like, VIS-IR spectroscopy focused on a rocky planet provides insights into the distribution of iron (Fe) and titanium (Ti)-rich minerals, spanning both its igneous and sedimentary phases. In contrast, IR spectroscopy exposes the abundance of silicon-oxygen (Si-O) bonds, offering a glimpse into the bulk mineralogy of the surface. This leaded to the better understanding of the abundance of minerals and their distribution on the different planetary surfaces. Olivine is often observed on the surface of different Solar System objects such as Venus, Mercury, Our Moon, and Asteroid Vesta. In the case of Mercury
impacts allowed olivine to mixed with other abundant sulphides molecules and further processed by shock wave which induced a physico chemical changes leaded to a change in the spectral signature of the Mercury surface.
To address this issue we studied shock processing (5.6 M) of the olivine (dunite) with sulphur, where the mixture was processed at a temperature ~ 7300 K, for 2ms. The shock processed samples later analysed using PSL, DLR’s bi directional reflection spectroscopy set up from UV to FIR wavelength range.Results from this work will help the planetary science community to build a spectral library for the future planetary missions.
