A novel instrument to measure differential ablation of meteorite samples and proxies: The Meteoric Ablation Simulator (MASI)

On entering the Earth ’s atmosphere, micrometeoroids partially or completely ablate, leaving behind layers of metallic atoms and ions. The relative concentration of the various metal layers is not well explained by current models of ablation. Furthermore, estimates of the total flux of cosmic dust and meteoroids enteri ng the Earth’s atmosphere vary over two orders of magnitude. To better constrain these estimates and to better model the metal layers in the mesosphere, an experimental Meteoric Ablation Simulator (MASI) has been developed. Interplanetary Dust Particle (IDP) analogs are subjected totemperature profiles simulating realistic entry heating, to ascertain the differential ablation of relevant metal species. MASI is the first ablation experiment capable of simulating detailed mass, velocity, and entry angle-specifictemperature profiles whilst simultaneously tracking the resulting gas-phase ablation products in a time resolved manner. This enables the determination of elemental atmospheric entry yields which consider the mass and size distribution of IDPs. The instrument has also enabled the first directmeasurements of differential ablation in a laboratory setting.
Source: Review of Scientific Instruments - Category: Physics Authors: Source Type: research