Isotopic and Microstructural Analyses of Opaque Mineral Assemblages and Their Alteration Products Hosted in a Refractory Inclusion

Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) hosted in primitive meteorites are the oldest solids formed in the Solar System. Some CAIs contain metal nuggets that are complex assemblages of Fe-Ni alloys, along with rare ultra-refractory metals such as platinum group elements (PGEs), and their alteration products such as magnetite, sulfides, and phosphates. Three possible mechanisms proposed to explain the origin of these metal nuggets include condensation in circumstellar settings, condensation in the solar nebula within the CAI-forming region, or crystallization from immiscible metal-silicate melt. However, secondary alteration processes may have also affected some of these assemblages. Additionally, similar metal assemblages observed in chondrules and chondritic matrix indicate that all of these metal nuggets could share common high-temperature origins. These metal assemblages record early Solar System conditions that are reflected in their distinctive chemical composition, mineralogy and microstructures. Here we report a detailed mineralogical, microstructural and oxygen isotopic study of one such metal assemblage hosted in a CAI to understand the physical and chemical settings in which it formed

Oxygen Isotopic Imaging of Refractory Inclusions from the Miller Range (MIL) 090019 CO3 Chondrite: A Perovskite Perspective

Calcium-Aluminum-rich Inclusions (CAIs) in primitive meteorites are the first solids to condense in the Solar System. The oxygen isotopic compositions recorded in various mineral components of CAIs provide clues about their origins and post-formation histories, recording processes such as condensation, melting, nebular alteration, and fluidrock reactions on the parent body. MIL 090019 is similar to some rare carbonaceous chondrites such as Acfer 094, DOM 08004/6 and ALH 77303 that contain high abundances of a variety of refractory inclusions. This provides an opportunity to study the oxygen isotopic record of different types of refractory inclusions within the same meteorite. We analyzed CAIs specifically targeting primary minerals that are direct nebular condensates, such as corundum and perovskite, with the goal of gaining insights into the O isotopic composition of the nebular gas(es) from which these CAIs condensed. As MIL 090019 is a classified as CO3.1, it shows some signs of thermal metamorphism, compared to the more primitive CO3 meteorites (e.g., DOM 08004/06). A second goal of this study is to search for evidence of nebular processes in phases such as perovskite and melilite that are susceptible to parent body alteration to varying degrees. We analyzed the oxygen isotopic compositions of various CAIs from the MIL 090019 CO3 carbonaceous chondrite by ion imaging using the NanoSIMS 50L (Nano Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer) at JSC following methods described in. An advantage of ion imaging over traditional spot analyses is that it provides spatial context to the oxygen isotopic data. This work builds on previously reported oxygen isotopic composition of two other CAIs (CAI-44 and CAI-E2) from the same meteorite thin section

Capturing an Evolving Nebular Environment: A Petrographic and Geochemical Study of a Type A, B & C CAI

Calcium, Aluminum-rich Inclusions (CAIs) were the first formed solids in our Solar System, with mineral assemblages reflecting the first phases predicted to condense out of a hot nebular gas of Solar composition. Geochemical, textural and crystallographic information in CAIs can be used to constrain the temperature, pressure, and composition (e.g., oxygen fugacity) of the gaseous reservoir(s) from which they formed, as well as any secondary (nebular and parent body) processes they underwent. Coordinated geochemical and textural analyses provide information on nebular conditions (i.e., astrophysical environments and dynamics of nebular gas reservoirs) in which these CAIs formed. In order to better understand the evolution of nebular reservoirs at the time of CAI formation, we analyzed a Type A, B and C CAI using Electron Probe Micro-Analyzer (EPMA) and Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD) at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Degradation of Textile Dye Reactive Navy – Blue Rx (Reactive blue–59) by an Isolated Actinomycete Streptomyces krainskii SUK – 5

The isolated Actinomycete, Streptomyces krainskii, SUK -5 was found to decolorize and degrade textile dye Reactive blue–59.This azo dye was decolorized and degraded completely by Streptomyces krainskii SUK–5 at 24 h in shaking condition in the nutrient medium at pH 8. Induction in the activity of Lignin Peroxidase,and NADH-DCIP Reductase and MR reductase represents their role in degradation .The biodegradation was monitored by TLC, UV vis spectroscopy, FTIR. and GCMS analysis. Microbial and phytotoxicity studies of the product were carried out

Pathogenic and Molecular Characterization of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri Causing Chickpea Wilt through ISSR Markers

In the present investigation the pathogenic and genetic variability was assayed, amongst the seven isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri (Foc) collected from different agro-climatic zones of Maharashtra State, India. The isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.ciceri were confirmed by SCAR marker which yielded 1.5 KD band. The pathogenicity of each isolate was confirmed using the wilt susceptible chickpea genotype JG-62. On the basis of pathogenic ability the isolates were grouped as highly pathogenic (FOC-2, FOC-5, FOC-6), strongly pathogenic (FOC-1,FOC-3) and moderately pathogenic (FOC-4,FOC-7). Eight Inter Simple Sequence Repeats primers (ISSRs) were used to determine the genetic variability in seven isolates Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri. The seven primers produced 80 scorable bands. Off 80 bands, 73 bands were polymorphic and average level of polymorphism was 91.25 per cent. In UPGMA analysis, Foc-1 (Wardha) was found to have higher value of similarity coefficient (0.8375) whereas Foc-2 (Lonar) was found to have lower value of similarity coefficient (0.4625). The isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.ciceri were grouped into two major clusters. First group, cluster-A includes isolates belonging to Wardha, Washim and Lonar. Second group, cluster-B includes Nashik, Ahmednagar, Rahuri and Pune. It shows that Foc-1 (Wardha) have higher value of similarity coefficient with Foc-3 (Washim) whereas Foc-2 (Lonar) have lower value of similarity coefficient with Foc-5 (Ahmednagar).The similarity matrix indicated that seven isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.ciceri exhibited in between 46-84 per cent similarity coefficient

Trace Element Abundances in an Unusual Hibonite-Perovskite Refractory Inclusion from Allende

Calcium-aluminum-rich refractory inclusions (CAIs) are thought to be the first-formed solids in the Solar protoplanetary disk and can provide information about the earliest Solar System processes (e.g., [1]). A hibonite-perovskitebearing CAI from the Allende CV3 chondrite (SHAL, [2]) contains a single of 500 micrometers hibonite grain and coarse-grained perovskite. The mineralogy and oxygen isotopic composition of this CAI shows similarities with FUN inclusions, especially HAL [2]. Here we present trace element abundances in SHAL

A review of volatiles in the Martian interior

Multiple observations from missions to Mars have revealed compelling evidence for a volatile-rich Martian crust. A leading theory contends that eruption of basaltic magmas was the ultimate mechanism of transfer of volatiles from the mantle toward the surface after an initial outgassing related to the crystallization of a magma ocean. However, the concentrations of volatile species in ascending magmas and in their mantle source regions are highly uncertain. This work and this special issue of Meteoritics & Planetary Science summarize the key findings of the workshop on Volatiles in the Martian Interior (Nov. 3–4, 2014), the primary open questions related to volatiles in Martian magmas and their source regions, and the suggestions of the community at the workshop to address these open questions

Quasiperiodic spin-orbit motion and spin tunes in storage rings

We present an in-depth analysis of the concept of spin precession frequency for integrable orbital motion in storage rings. Spin motion on the periodic closed orbit of a storage ring can be analyzed in terms of the Floquet theorem for equations of motion with periodic parameters and a spin precession frequency emerges in a Floquet exponent as an additional frequency of the system. To define a spin precession frequency on nonperiodic synchro-betatron orbits we exploit the important concept of quasiperiodicity. This allows a generalization of the Floquet theorem so that a spin precession frequency can be defined in this case too. This frequency appears in a Floquet-like exponent as an additional frequency in the system in analogy with the case of motion on the closed orbit. These circumstances lead naturally to the definition of the uniform precession rate and a definition of spin tune. A spin tune is a uniform precession rate obtained when certain conditions are fulfilled. Having defined spin tune we define spin-orbit resonance on synchro--betatron orbits and examine its consequences. We give conditions for the existence of uniform precession rates and spin tunes (e.g. where small divisors are controlled by applying a Diophantine condition) and illustrate the various aspects of our description with several examples. The formalism also suggests the use of spectral analysis to ``measure'' spin tune during computer simulations of spin motion on synchro-betatron orbits.Comment: 62 pages, 1 figure. A slight extension of the published versio

Higher excitations of ω\omega and ϕ\phi in dilepton spectra

We consider lepton pair production via two-hadron annihilation through various isoscalar vector mesons within hot, baryon-free matter. This is tantamount to constructing effective form factors which we model using a vector-meson-dominance approach and compare with experiment. In particular, we consider the reactions $\pi\rho\to e^+e^-$ and $\bar K K^{*}(892)$ + c.c. $\to e^+e^-$. We find that $\omega(1390)$ and $\phi(1680)$ are visible in the mass spectrum for the thermal production rate above the $\pi^{+}\pi^{-} \to e^+e^-$ tail and even above the $\pi a_{1}\to e^+e^-$ results---both of which were considered important in their respective mass regions.Comment: RevTeX, 9 pages, 6 (uuencoded) figures; to appear in Phys. Rev

A tracking algorithm for the stable spin polarization field in storage rings using stroboscopic averaging

Polarized protons have never been accelerated to more than about $25$GeV. To achieve polarized proton beams in RHIC (250GeV), HERA (820GeV), and the TEVATRON (900GeV), ideas and techniques new to accelerator physics are needed. In this publication we will stress an important aspect of very high energy polarized proton beams, namely the fact that the equilibrium polarization direction can vary substantially across the beam in the interaction region of a high energy experiment when no countermeasure is taken. Such a divergence of the polarization direction would not only diminish the average polarization available to the particle physics experiment, but it would also make the polarization involved in each collision analyzed in a detector strongly dependent on the phase space position of the interacting particle. In order to analyze and compensate this effect, methods for computing the equilibrium polarization direction are needed. In this paper we introduce the method of stroboscopic averaging, which computes this direction in a very efficient way. Since only tracking data is needed, our method can be implemented easily in existing spin tracking programs. Several examples demonstrate the importance of the spin divergence and the applicability of stroboscopic averaging.Comment: 39 page