The new info from the Ryugu samples might contribute to the redefinition of the standard elemental compositions of solid products in the planetary system.
Direct samples from near-Earth asteroid Ryugu offer researchers a peek into the raw materials of strong matter in the external regions of the early solar system.
Considering that as far back as Ancient Greece, human beings have actually been captivated by the solar system. However, Japanese scientists have now gathered asteroid information that offers insights into the advancement of the solar system that earlier scientists such as Ptolemy, Galileo, and Copernicus might only have actually dreamed of.
Asteroid explorer Hayabusa2, released in 2014, set out for Ryugu, a carbon-rich C-type asteroid. In 2018, it showed up in the location of Ryugu, performing a number of remote observations and gathering samples from 2 places on the asteroid. Prior to the launch of Hayabusa2, a research study group at Osaka University had actually been establishing a non-destructive method of light element analysis making use of muons to evaluate Ryugu.
( Left) An example of a muonic X-ray produced after a muon is caught by an irradiated material. (Right) The sample obtained from the asteroid Ryugu. Credit: (left) Muon analysis group, (right) JAXA
Versus such a background, an initial analysis job including international scientists started in 2021, conducted by Dr. Nakamura of Tohoku University, leader of the “Stone Analysis Team” from the Hayabusa2 Initial Analysis Team The information anticipated to come from the Ryugu stone is diverse, and the Stone Analysis Team brought out numerous studies on the shape of the stone in addition to its essential circulation and mineral composition. The Osaka University research study group had an interest in the type and amount of the components that Ryugu includes, particularly the light elemental composition (C, N, O) of the product substance of life, and signed up with the initial analysis group.
Figure 2: Comparison between muonic X-ray spectra from the Ryugu sample and the Orgueil CI chondrite. Credit: Muon Analysis Team
One of the advantages of muon analysis is that the high penetrating power of muon particular X-rays makes it possible to non-destructively recognize elements inside a sample.
Data gotten from the Ryugu samples (figure 2) follow the classification of Ryugu as a CI chondrite, clearly suggesting that the Ryugu rocks are incredibly primitive material in the planetary system. A further important finding is that the asteroid consists of 25% less oxygen relative to silicon than typical CI chondrite meteorites that have actually affected Earth (figure 3). This suggests that CI chondrites, which were previously considered as a standard for the chemical structures of strong materials in the solar system, might in truth record some contamination from terrestrial products.
Figure 3: Comparison of the elemental compositions of the Ryugu sample and the Orgueil CI chondrite (K. Lodders, The Astrophysical Journal, 591, 1220– 1247, 2003), revealing the fairly lower oxygen material in the Ryugu sample compared to CI chondrite. Credit: Muon Analysis Team.
Professor Terada states “Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen are the material substances of life. Therefore, our effective detection of these substances without ruining the Ryugu samples is a cutting-edge accomplishment.”
Considered that analysis of the pristine samples from Ryugu supplies an uncommon chance to compare product gotten directly from the asteroid with meteorites on Earth, the brand-new information from the Ryugu samples may help to redefine the basic essential structures of strong materials in the planetary system.
Reference: “Formation and advancement of carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu: Direct proof from returned samples” by T. Nakamura, M. Matsumoto, K. Amano, Y. Enokido, M. E. Zolensky, T. Mikouchi, H. Genda, S. Tanaka, M. Y. Zolotov, K. Kurosawa, S. Wakita, R. Hyodo, H. Nagano, D. Nakashima, Y. Takahashi, Y. Fujioka, M. Kikuiri, E. Kagawa, M. Matsuoka, A. J. Brearley, A. Tsuchiyama, M. Uesugi, J. Matsuno, Y. Kimura, M. Sato, R. E. Milliken, E. Tatsumi, S. Sugita, T. Hiroi, K. Kitazato, D. Brownlee, D. J. Joswiak, M. Takahashi, K. Ninomiya, T. Takahashi, T. Osawa, K. Terada, F. E. Brenker, B. J. Tkalcec, L. Vincze, R. Brunetto, A. Aléon-Toppani, Q. H. S. Chan, M. Roskosz, J.-C. Viennet, P. Beck, E. E. Alp, T. Michikami, Y. Nagaashi, T. Tsuji, Y. Ino, J. Martinez, J. Han, A. Dolocan, R. J. Bodnar, M. Tanaka, H. Yoshida, K. Sugiyama, A. J. King, K. Fukushi, H. Suga, S. Yamashita, T. Kawai, K. Inoue, A. Nakato, T. Noguchi, F. Vilas, A. R. Hendrix, C. Jaramillo-Correa, D. L. Domingue, G. Dominguez, Z. Gainsforth, C. Engrand, J. Duprat, S. S. Russell, E. Bonato, C. Ma, T. Kawamoto, T. Wada, S. Watanabe, R. Endo, S. Enju, L. Riu, S. Rubino, P. Tack, S. Takeshita, Y. Takeichi, A. Takeuchi, A. Takigawa, D. Takir, T. Tanigaki, A. Taniguchi, K. Tsukamoto, T. Yagi, S. Yamada, K. Yamamoto, Y. Yamashita, M. Yasutake, K. Uesugi, I. Umegaki, I. Chiu, T. Ishizaki, S. Okumura, E. Palomba, C. Pilorget, S. M. Potin, A. Alasli, S. Anada, Y. Araki, N. Sakatani, C. Schultz, O. Sekizawa, S. D. Sitzman, K. Sugiura, M. Sun, E. Dartois, E. De Pauw, Z. Dionnet, Z. Djouadi, G. Falkenberg, R. Fujita, T. Fukuma, I. R. Gearba, K. Hagiya, M. Y. Hu, T. Kato, T. Kawamura, M. Kimura, M. K. Kubo, F. Langenhorst, C. Lantz, B. Lavina, M. Lindner, J. Zhao, B. Vekemans, D. Baklouti, B. Bazi, F. Borondics, S. Nagasawa, G. Nishiyama, K. Nitta, J. Mathurin, T. Matsumoto, I. Mitsukawa, H. Miura, A. Miyake, Y. Miyake, H. Yurimoto, R. Okazaki, H. Yabuta, H. Naraoka, K. Sakamoto, S. Tachibana, H. C. Connolly, D. S. Lauretta, M. Yoshitake, M. Yoshikawa, K. Yoshikawa, K. Yoshihara, Y. Yokota, K. Yogata, H. Yano, Y. Yamamoto, D. Yamamoto, M. Yamada, T. Yamada, T. Yada, K. Wada, T. Usui, R. Tsukizaki, F. Terui, H. Takeuchi, Y. Takei, A. Iwamae, H. Soejima, K. Shirai, Y. Shimaki, H. Senshu, H. Sawada, T. Saiki, M. Ozaki, G. Ono, T. Okada, N. Ogawa, K. Ogawa, R. Noguchi, H. Noda, M. Nishimura, N. Namiki, S. Nakazawa, T. Morota, A. Miyazaki, A. Miura, Y. Mimasu, K. Matsumoto, K. Kumagai, T. Kouyama, S. Kikuchi, K. Kawahara, S. Kameda, T. Iwata, Y. Ishihara, M. Ishiguro, H. Ikeda, S. Hosoda, R. Honda, C. Honda, Y. Hitomi, N. Hirata, N. Hirata, T. Hayashi, M. Hayakawa, K. Hatakeda, S. Furuya, R. Fukai, A. Fujii, Y. Cho, M. Arakawa, M. Abe, S. Watanabe and Y. Tsuda, 22 September 2022, Science.DOI: 10.1126/ science.abn8671.
Data gotten from the Ryugu samples (figure 2) are consistent with the classification of Ryugu as a CI chondrite, clearly suggesting that the Ryugu rocks are very primordial material in the solar system.
In 2018, it showed up in the area of Ryugu, conducting a number of remote observations and gathering samples from two locations on the asteroid. (Right) The sample acquired from the asteroid Ryugu. The Osaka University research group was interested in the type and amount of the components that Ryugu includes, especially the light elemental composition (C, N, O) of the product compound of life, and signed up with the preliminary analysis group.
