Mat’ls Astronomy:  Looking at (previously) standalone astrophysical bodies in the microscopy lab.

Outline

Some Collaborators

Scanning electron microscopes

Transmission electron microscopes

Dynamic imaging secondary ion mass spectrometers, & WU’s nanoSIMS…

Interplanetary Dust
in the Lab

Specimen prep: removal from the flag, showers, and more…

“Grape cluster” particle in the Scanning Electron Microscope

Solar flare tracks,
in the TEM

Refractory crystal spheres, intersecting…

Darkfield pictures of carbide plates on an iron crystal…

Interstellar Dust
in the Lab

Lot’s of stuff can happen on a long trip…

C/O>1 giant stars:  machines able to manufacture carbon atoms, and facilitate their condensation…

Silicon carbide from
long ago, far away...

Some highlights of SiC isotopery;  for updates check out... http://presolar.wustl.edu/research.html

Presolar  nanodiamonds

Here’s a 200 mesh grid square of one ultra-microtome section

Zooming In: Is that thing round?

Zooming In: Onion Found!

Homegrown onions in HREM:  Rim layers in pre-solar onions are similar to this

Diffraction from Presolar Onion Rims and Cores

Simulated diffraction from graphene flakes

Comparing C images with increasing order, from Ap J Lett 578, 2 (2002) L153-156

A closer look at part of the 2nd inset in the previous slide, contrast reversed…

Cyclopentane formation models…

Future work on onion cores

Grains from stars with C/O<1…

Mat’ls astronomy “nanoWorld webQuests”