Towards the Isotopic Measurement of Solar Wind Carbon in the Genesis

Towards the isotopic measurement of solar wind carbon in the Genesis silicon target

The Genesis solar wind sample return mission: Past, present, and future

The Genesis Discovery mission returned solar matter in the form of the solar wind with the goal of obtaining precise solar isotopic abundances (for the first time) and greatly improved elemental abundances. Measurements of the light noble gases in regime samples demonstrate that isotopes are fractionated in the solar wind relative to the solar photosphere. Theory is required for correction. Mea...

Isotopic and elemental fractionation of solar wind implanted in the Genesis concentrator target characterized and quantified by noble gases

We report concentrations and isotopic compositions of He, Ne, and Ar measured with high spatial resolution along a radial traverse of a silicon carbide (SiC) quadrant of the Genesis mission concentrator target. The Ne isotopic composition maps instrumental fractionation as a function of radial position in the target: the maximum observed isotopic fractionation is approximately 33& per mass unit...

Genesis , Five Years After

Introduction: Almost five years after the crash-landing of the sample return capsule of the Genesis solar wind collection mission, many of the originally defined high-priority goals [1] have been reached or prospects are very good that they will be reached within the next few years. None of the major goals had to be abandoned as a consequence of the crash. This contribution reviews some of the ...

Photochemical Isotope Effects in the Early

There is increasing consensus on the role of photochemistry in establishing the large non-mass-dependent (NMD) isotopic variations observed in oxygen in solar system materials. A prime candidate process is isotopic self-shielding in the photolysis of gaseous carbon monoxide. Still at issue are the questions of where and when this might have occurred. One class of models requires low temperature...