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High-temperature He+ Irradiation of Low-iron-bearing Olivine: Laboratory Simulations of Space Weathering on Mercury

  • The surface of Mercury is highly space weathered, and the products of space weathering are different than on the Moon. Here we simulate the interaction of solar wind ions with the surface of Mercury by implanting low-iron-bearing (∼3 wt% Fe) olivine slices with 4 keV He+ ions both under ambient conditions and at 450 °C during the irradiation. The sample irradiated under ambient conditions shows a ∼140 nm thick partially amorphous layer on top of the grain with high concentrations of bubbles and cavities. However, the sample irradiated at 450 °C has a 110–140 nm thick polycrystalline layer with 1–5 nm sized nanoparticles of metallic iron and no bubbles or cavities. Mg atoms are preferentially sputtered from the ion-damaged layer present on the sample irradiated under ambient conditions, but no difference in composition is seen between the crystalline olivine and the ion-damaged layer in the sample irradiated at 450 °C. In addition, a thin amorphous film deposited on a micro-electromechanical systems–based chip is heated up to 1200 °C in situ inside a transmission electron microscope for a few milliseconds, and it produced nanoparticles of size 5–30 nm. Our results show that solar wind irradiation of low-iron-bearing olivine in the equatorial regions of Mercury will produce nanoparticles of iron whose sizes will be larger than that on the surface of the Moon and that the size will further increase during impacts of dust particles. Solar-wind-implanted He can diffuse out of regolith grains and can be a source of He observed in the exosphere of Mercury.

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Metadaten
Author:Surya Snata RoutORCiD, Ulrich KentschORCiD, Ralf DohmenORCiD, Franziska TraegerORCiD, Swarna Prava DasORCiD, Hans-Werner BeckerORCiD, Stefan FacskoORCiD, Martin RitterORCiD
URN:urn:nbn:de:hbz:1010-opus4-49120
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ae172f
ISSN:2632-3338
Parent Title (English):The Planetary Science Journal
Publisher:IOP Publishing
Editor: American Astronomical Society
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2025/11/24
Year of first Publication:2025
Publishing Institution:Westfälische Hochschule Gelsenkirchen Bocholt Recklinghausen
Release Date:2026/01/07
Tag:Mercury (planet); Planetary surfaces; Solar wind
Volume:2025
Issue:Volume 6, Number 11
Article Number:269
Page Number:9
Institutes:Fachbereiche / Ingenieur- und Naturwissenschaften
Licence (German):Creative Commons - Namensnennung
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