Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences (Sep 2023)

Simulating asteroid impacts and meteor events by high-power lasers: from the laboratory to spaceborne missions

  • Martin Ferus,
  • Antonín Knížek,
  • Antonín Knížek,
  • Giuseppe Cassone,
  • Paul B. Rimmer,
  • Hitesh Changela,
  • Elias Chatzitheodoridis,
  • Inna Uwarova,
  • Ján Žabka,
  • Petr Kabáth,
  • Franz Saija,
  • Homa Saeidfirozeh,
  • Libor Lenža,
  • Miroslav Krůs,
  • Lukáš Petera,
  • Lukáš Petera,
  • Lukáš Nejdl,
  • Petr Kubelík,
  • Anna Křivková,
  • Anna Křivková,
  • David Černý,
  • Martin Divoký,
  • Michael Pisařík,
  • Tomáš Kohout,
  • Tomáš Kohout,
  • Lakshika Palamakumbure,
  • Barbora Drtinová,
  • Klára Hlouchová,
  • Nikola Schmidt,
  • Zita Martins,
  • Jorge Yáñez,
  • Svatopoluk Civiš,
  • Pavel Pořízka,
  • Tomáš Mocek,
  • Jona Petri,
  • Sabine Klinkner

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2023.1186172
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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Meteor plasmas and impact events are complex, dynamic natural phenomena. Simulating these processes in the laboratory is, however, a challenge. The technique of laser induced dielectric breakdown was first used for this purpose almost 50 years ago. Since then, laser-based experiments have helped to simulate high energy processes in the Tunguska and Chicxulub impact events, heavy bombardment on the early Earth, prebiotic chemical evolution, space weathering of celestial bodies and meteor plasma. This review summarizes the current level of knowledge and outlines possible paths of future development.

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