Nanophase iron production through laser irradiation and magnetic detection of space weathering analogs

Airless bodies are constantly exposed to space weathering. The Moon and other similar S-type asteroids physically change through comminution, melting, and agglutinate formation, while spectrally they are darkening, steepening (or reddening) the spectral slope toward longer wavelengths, and reducing silicate mineral absorption bands. In these S-type bodies the production of submicroscopic metallic iron, or nanophase iron (SMFe, npFe0) is a major contributor in these spectral changes. We made a qualitative estimate of both quantity and size distribution of produced metallic iron by space weathered analog, olivine irradiated by laser. Through SEM observation we confirmed that nanoparticles of metallic iron formed in the nm range. Spectroscopic and magnetic susceptibility (MS) through temperature analyses reveal an increasing trend of npFe0 formation, darkening, reddening, and shallowing of the 1 μm olivine absorption band. Olivine that produced the larger end of the size range of npFe0 produced similar effects, except for increased reddening. The magnetic data suggests that with laser irradiation there is both a linear increase of nanoparticles and a logarithmic increase in spectral change with SW time.