Detection of solar wind-produced water in irradiated rims on silicate minerals

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1320115111
• Publication Date: 2014-01-22T04:02:30Z
• Authors: John P. Bradley; Hope A. Ishii; Jeffrey J. Gillis...; James Ciston; Michael H. Nielsen; Hans A. Bechtel; Michael C. Martin
• Keywords: Liquid water; Space weathering

Significance Whether water is produced by solar wind (SW) radiolysis has been debated for more than four decades. In this paper, we exploit the high spatial resolution of electron microscopy and sensitivity valence energy-loss spectroscopy to detect (liquid or vapor) in vesicles within (SW-produced) space-weathered rims on interplanetary dust particle (IDP) surfaces. Water implications origin airless bodies like Moon asteroids, delivery surfaces terrestrial planets, production other astrophysical environments. particular, organic carbon were likely delivered simultaneously flux IDPs accreted early Earth planets.