Etude expérimentale et théorique de la structure électronique de l'aluminium en conditions extrêmes par spectroscopie d'absorption X

La matière en conditions extrêmes appartient au régime de la Warm Dense Matter qui se situe à la frontière entre le régime plasma dense et le régime de la matière condensée. Son comportement est encore mal connu et mal décrit. En effet, sa description théorique est très complexe et il est difficile de générer cet état de matière en laboratoire pour obtenir des données expérimentales pouvant valider les modèles. Ce travail de thèse a pour objectif d'étudier la structure électronique de l'aluminium en conditions extrêmes par le diagnostic de la spectroscopie d'absorption X. Expérimentalement l'aluminium a été porté dans des conditions de fortes densités et fortes températures jusque-là inexplorées. Par ailleurs, une source X capable de sonder l'aluminium sous choc a été générée. Deux spectromètres X ont permis l'acquisition des spectres d'absorption de l'aluminium dans ces conditions et des diagnostics optiques ont permis de déduire les conditions de densité et de température de l'aluminium de façon indépendante. En parallèle, des calculs ab initio ont été réalisés pour obtenir des spectres d'absorption dans les mêmes conditions afin de les comparer aux spectres expérimentaux. Du point de vue théorique, l'objectif était de valider les méthodes de calcul des spectres d'absorption X dans ce régime de fortes densités et fortes températures en analysant les modifications du flanc d'absorption. Le diagnostic de l'absorption X a également été utilisé pour étudier le phénomène physique de la transition métal-non métal qui a lieu à basse densité (densité < densité du solide). Cette transition peut alors être étudiée par les changements de la structure électronique du système étudié.Matter in extreme conditions belongs to Warm Dense Matter regime which lays between dense plasma regime and condensed matter. This regime is still not well known, indeed it is very complex to generate such plasma in the laboratory to get experimental data and validate models. The goal of this thesis is to study electronic structure of aluminum in extreme conditions with X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Experimentally aluminum has reached high densities and high temperatures, up to now unexplored. An X-ray source has also been generated to probe highly compressed aluminum. Two spectrometers have recorded aluminum absorption spectra and aluminum density and temperature conditions have been deduced thanks to optical diagnostics. Experimental spectra have been compared to ab initio spectra, calculated in the same conditions. The theoretical goal was to validate the calculation method in high densities and high temperatures regime with the study of K-edge absorption modifications. We also used absorption spectra to study the metal-non metal transition which takes place at low density (density < solid density). This transition could be study with electronic structure modifications of the system.PALAISEAU-Polytechnique (914772301) / SudocSudocFranceF

Role of Exchange Scattering in Spin-Dependent (e,2e) Collisions

One of the exciting new developments in the field of electron-impact ionization of atoms lies in the use of spin-polarized electron beams. The development of new technology which allows one to measure increasingly differential cross sections is partially motivated by the fact that the new results would be expected to serve as a more sensitive test of theory. For the last 20 years, spin-polarized electron-atom scattering has provided stringent tests of theory for elastic and inelastic scattering and the new ionization measurements will undoubtedly extend the horizons for this type of work. Probably the most important issue, however, concerns whether or not these sensitive tests can serve as a probe of new physical effects which were not previously observable. In this letter, it is demonstrated that the recent measurements of ionization of xenon using spin-polarized electrons provide information about exchange effects between the projectile electron and atomic charge cloud which would not be seen using unpolarized beams of electrons

Bayesian analysis of Enceladus' plume data to assess methanogenesis

International audienceObservations from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft established that Saturn’s moon Enceladus has an internal liquid ocean. Analysis of a plume of ocean material ejected into space suggests that alkaline hydrothermal vents are present on Enceladus’s seafloor. On Earth, such deep-sea vents harbour microbial ecosystems rich in methanogenic archaea. Here we use a Bayesian statistical approach to quantify the probability that methanogenesis (biotic methane production) might explain the escape rates of molecular hydrogen and methane in Enceladus’s plume, as measured by Cassini instruments. We find that the observed escape rates (1) cannot be explained solely by the abiotic alteration of the rocky core by serpentinization; (2) are compatible with the hypothesis of habitable conditions for methanogens; and (3) score the highest likelihood under the hypothesis of methanogenesis, assuming that the probability of life emerging is high enough. If the probability of life emerging on Enceladus is low, the Cassini measurements are consistent with habitable yet uninhabited hydrothermal vents and point to unknown sources of methane (for example, primordial methane) awaiting discovery by future missions

Putative Methanogenic Biosphere in Enceladus's Deep Ocean: Biomass, Productivity, and Implications for Detection

International audienceAbstract Saturn's moon Enceladus is a top candidate in the search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system. Ecological thermodynamic modeling of the plume composition data collected by NASA's Cassini mission led to the hypothesis that a hydrogenotrophic methanogenic ecosystem might exist in the putative hydrothermal vents at Enceladus's seafloor. Here we extend this approach to quantify the ecosystem's expected biomass stock and production and evaluate its detectability from the collection of plume material. We find that although a hypothetical biosphere in Enceladus's ocean could be small (0.1 mL of material needs to be collected. This would require material from more than 100 fly-bys through the plume or using a lander. We then consider amino acid abundance as an alternative signature and find that the absolute abundance of amino acids, such as glycine, could be very informative if a detection threshold of 1 × 10 −7 mol L −1 could be achieved. Altogether, our findings set relatively high bars on sample volume and amino acid detection thresholds, but these goals seem within the reach of near-future missions

Putative Methanogenic Biosphere in Enceladus's Deep Ocean: Biomass, Productivity, and Implications for Detection

International audienceAbstract Saturn's moon Enceladus is a top candidate in the search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system. Ecological thermodynamic modeling of the plume composition data collected by NASA's Cassini mission led to the hypothesis that a hydrogenotrophic methanogenic ecosystem might exist in the putative hydrothermal vents at Enceladus's seafloor. Here we extend this approach to quantify the ecosystem's expected biomass stock and production and evaluate its detectability from the collection of plume material. We find that although a hypothetical biosphere in Enceladus's ocean could be small (0.1 mL of material needs to be collected. This would require material from more than 100 fly-bys through the plume or using a lander. We then consider amino acid abundance as an alternative signature and find that the absolute abundance of amino acids, such as glycine, could be very informative if a detection threshold of 1 × 10 −7 mol L −1 could be achieved. Altogether, our findings set relatively high bars on sample volume and amino acid detection thresholds, but these goals seem within the reach of near-future missions

Co-evolution of primitive methane-cycling ecosystems and early Earth's atmosphere and climate

International audienceThe history of the Earth has been marked by major ecological transitions, driven by metabolic innovation, that radically reshaped the composition of the oceans and atmosphere. The nature and magnitude of the earliest transitions, hundreds of million years before photosynthesis evolved, remain poorly understood. Using a novel ecosystem-planetary model, we find that pre-photosynthetic methane-cycling microbial ecosystems are much less productive than previously thought. In spite of their low productivity, the evolution of methanogenic metabolisms strongly modifies the atmospheric composition, leading to a warmer but less resilient climate. As the abiotic carbon cycle responds, further metabolic evolution (anaerobic methanotrophy) may feed back to the atmosphere and destabilize the climate, triggering a transient global glaciation. Although early metabolic evolution may cause strong climatic instability, a low CO:CH4 atmospheric ratio emerges as a robust signature of simple methane-cycling ecosystems on a globally reduced planet such as the late Hadean/early Archean Earth

Early Mars habitability and global cooling by H<SUB>2</SUB>-based methanogens

International audienceDuring the Noachian, Mars' crust may have provided a favourable environment for microbial life1,2. The porous brine-saturated regolith3-5 would have created a physical space sheltered from ultraviolet and cosmic radiation and provided a solvent, whereas the below-ground temperature2 and diffusion6,7 of a dense, reduced atmosphere8,9 may have supported simple microbial organisms that consumed H2 and CO2 as energy and carbon sources and produced methane as a waste. On Earth, hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis was among the earliest metabolisms10,11, but its viability on early Mars has never been quantitatively evaluated. Here we present a probabilistic assessment of Mars' Noachian habitability to H2-based methanogens and quantify their biological feedback on Mars' atmosphere and climate. We find that subsurface habitability was very likely, and limited mainly by the extent of surface ice coverage. Biomass productivity could have been as high as in the early Earth's ocean. However, the predicted atmospheric composition shift caused by methanogenesis would have triggered a global cooling event, ending potential early warm conditions, compromising surface habitability and forcing the biosphere deep into the Martian crust. Spatial projections of our predictions point to lowland sites at low-to-medium latitudes as good candidates to uncover traces of this early life at or near the surface

Ab initio calculation of x-ray absorption of iron up to 3 Mbar and 8000 K

International audienceUsing ab initio simulations within the generalized gradient approximation, we calculate x-ray absorption near edge spectra (XANES) at the iron K edge throughout the high-pressure phase diagram and up to extreme density and temperature conditions that are representative of the Earth's inner core (up to 3 Mbar and 8000 K). We show that XANES spectra near the Fe K edge exhibit clear signatures for the different high-temperature, high-pressure phases of iron. This suggests that XANES spectroscopy might be used to resolve ongoing controversies regarding both the high-pressure melting curve of iron and the nature of the solid phases undergoing melting up to several Mbar. In contrast to diffraction measurements, it also offers a severe constraint for density functional theory predictions of the transport properties of iron by providing direct information on the electronic structure of iron at these extreme conditions

The European Astrobiology Institute

The European Astrobiology Institute (EAI) will be a consortium of European research and higher education institutions and organisations as well as other stakeholders aiming to carry out research, training, outreach and dissemination activities in astrobiology in a comprehensive and coordinated manner and thereby securing a leading role of the European Research Area in the field