Nature Communications (Apr 2024)
Nonmagnetic framboid and associated iron nanoparticles with a space-weathered feature from asteroid Ryugu
- Yuki Kimura,
- Takeharu Kato,
- Satoshi Anada,
- Ryuji Yoshida,
- Kazuo Yamamoto,
- Toshiaki Tanigaki,
- Tetsuya Akashi,
- Hiroto Kasai,
- Kosuke Kurosawa,
- Tomoki Nakamura,
- Takaaki Noguchi,
- Masahiko Sato,
- Toru Matsumoto,
- Tomoyo Morita,
- Mizuha Kikuiri,
- Kana Amano,
- Eiichi Kagawa,
- Toru Yada,
- Masahiro Nishimura,
- Aiko Nakato,
- Akiko Miyazaki,
- Kasumi Yogata,
- Masanao Abe,
- Tatsuaki Okada,
- Tomohiro Usui,
- Makoto Yoshikawa,
- Takanao Saiki,
- Satoshi Tanaka,
- Fuyuto Terui,
- Satoru Nakazawa,
- Hisayoshi Yurimoto,
- Ryuji Okazaki,
- Hikaru Yabuta,
- Hiroshi Naraoka,
- Kanako Sakamoto,
- Sei-ichiro Watanabe,
- Yuichi Tsuda,
- Shogo Tachibana
Affiliations
- Yuki Kimura
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University
- Takeharu Kato
- Nanostructures Research Laboratory, Japan Fine Ceramics Center
- Satoshi Anada
- Nanostructures Research Laboratory, Japan Fine Ceramics Center
- Ryuji Yoshida
- Nanostructures Research Laboratory, Japan Fine Ceramics Center
- Kazuo Yamamoto
- Nanostructures Research Laboratory, Japan Fine Ceramics Center
- Toshiaki Tanigaki
- Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd., Hatoyama
- Tetsuya Akashi
- Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd., Hatoyama
- Hiroto Kasai
- Research & Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd., Hatoyama
- Kosuke Kurosawa
- Planetary Exploration Research Center, Chiba Institute of Technology
- Tomoki Nakamura
- Tohoku University
- Takaaki Noguchi
- Kyoto University
- Masahiko Sato
- The University of Tokyo
- Toru Matsumoto
- Kyoto University
- Tomoyo Morita
- Tohoku University
- Mizuha Kikuiri
- Tohoku University
- Kana Amano
- Tohoku University
- Eiichi Kagawa
- Tohoku University
- Toru Yada
- ISAS/JAXA
- Masahiro Nishimura
- ISAS/JAXA
- Aiko Nakato
- National Institute of Polar Research
- Akiko Miyazaki
- ISAS/JAXA
- Kasumi Yogata
- ISAS/JAXA
- Masanao Abe
- ISAS/JAXA
- Tatsuaki Okada
- ISAS/JAXA
- Tomohiro Usui
- ISAS/JAXA
- Makoto Yoshikawa
- ISAS/JAXA
- Takanao Saiki
- ISAS/JAXA
- Satoshi Tanaka
- ISAS/JAXA
- Fuyuto Terui
- Kanagawa Institute of Technology
- Satoru Nakazawa
- ISAS/JAXA
- Hisayoshi Yurimoto
- Hokkaido University
- Ryuji Okazaki
- Kyushu University
- Hikaru Yabuta
- Hiroshima University
- Hiroshi Naraoka
- Kyushu University
- Kanako Sakamoto
- ISAS/JAXA
- Sei-ichiro Watanabe
- Nagoya University
- Yuichi Tsuda
- ISAS/JAXA
- Shogo Tachibana
- The University of Tokyo
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47798-0
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 15,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 11
Abstract
Abstract Extraterrestrial minerals on the surface of airless Solar System bodies undergo gradual alteration processes known as space weathering over long periods of time. The signatures of space weathering help us understand the phenomena occurring in the Solar System. However, meteorites rarely retain the signatures, making it impossible to study the space weathering processes precisely. Here, we examine samples retrieved from the asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft and discover the presence of nonmagnetic framboids through electron holography measurements that can visualize magnetic flux. Magnetite particles, which normally provide a record of the nebular magnetic field, have lost their magnetic properties by reduction via a high-velocity (>5 km s–1) impact of a micrometeoroid with a diameter ranging from 2 to 20 μm after destruction of the parent body of Ryugu. Around these particles, thousands of metallic-iron nanoparticles with a vortex magnetic domain structure, which could have recorded a magnetic field in the impact event, are found. Through measuring the remanent magnetization of the iron nanoparticles, future studies are expected to elucidate the nature of the nebular/interplanetary magnetic fields after the termination of aqueous alteration in an asteroid.
