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PI : Takashi Mikouchi

Title : Mineralogy and crystallography of Hayabusa particles by synchrotron radiation X-ray and electron beam analyses: Reconstruction of an Itokawa parent asteroid(s)

Abstract

We will carry out a coordinated study using synchrotron radiation (XRD and XANES) and electron beam (FEG-SEM and electron microprobe) techniques to characterize mineralogical and crystallographic properties of Hayabusa samples. The combination of these two micro-beam techniques can enhance the scientific results obtained from each technique and can be complementary to each other. The synchrotron XRD analysis will allow detailed crystallography of Hayabusa particles by structural refinement for olivine and pyroxenes, which can offer important information about their thermal and shock histories. The electron microprobe analysis is required for proper structural analysis by synchrotron XRD, and the compositional gradients of chemical zoning (if present) will be used to estimate cooling rates. FEG-SEM observations allow submicron mineralogy of the particles and equipped EBSD detector can perform phase identification down to 100 nm in size. Finally, synchrotron XANES measurement is a key analysis to estimate valence states of transition metals, especially iron in silicates and oxides, which will tell about the redox states of Hayabusa particles. By employing these micro-beam techniques, we would like to analyze variable Hayabusa particles that have not been well characterized by preliminary examination (PE) in order to better understand their thermal and shock histories. The PE results suggest that Itokawa is a body of LL4-6 chondrite lithologies. Searching for more variable lithologies is important and will lead to better reconstruction of an original Itokawa parent body(s). Presently Hayabusa particles are the best available source to understand the evolution of ordinary chondrite parent bodies.

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