Research

At the Laboratory for Space Sciences at Washington University we encourage scientists to work together on research problems that span or transcend traditional departmental lines. Space sciences, broadly defined as the study of the universe and our relationship to it, is simply too vast an area to be the province of a single discipline. Understanding the formation of the solar system is equally the task of the chemist who measures isotope effects in meteorites, the astronomer who observes interstellar dust, and the theoretical physicist who studies supernova explosions. Members of our group thus belong to one of the basic, traditional science departments, yet overlap strongly in their research work.
Presolar Grains	One of the primary focuses of our research has been the isolation of individual grains of silicon carbide, graphite, aluminum oxide, and silicon nitride whose unusual isotopic properties show that they must have formed around other stars prior to incorporation into the pre-solar nebula (circumstellar grains). Surface Properties of Pristine Circumstellar SiC Grains Al-26 in Presolar Grains and Deep Mixing in AGB Stars Coordinated TEM and NanoSIMS studies of Presolar Grains Isotopic Composition of Presolar Dust Grains Presolar Silicate Grains in Meteorites Presolar Grains from Supernovae Presolar Grain Database
Interplanetary Dust Particles	Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) are among the most primitive materials in the solar system. Large enrichments of deuterium relative to hydrogen have been found in interplanetary dust particles and are interpreted as due to material formed in chemical reactions in interstellar molecular clouds. High-Resolution Isotope Imaging of IDPs IDPs from Space-Exposed Aerogel CR Chondrites: Effects of Parent Body Processing
Stardust to Wild 2	In January 2006, the Stardust spacecraft returned to Earth with dust particles collected from the  comet 81P/Wild 2.  We are studying these samples, which are found in both the aerogel tiles and the surrounding Al foils, as well as samples of contemporary interstellar dust collected on a second 'back-side' collector during the spacecraft's journey to Wild 2.  More information can be found on our Stardust mission web page.
Meteorite Geochemistry	Our research includes the in-situ study of trace element and isotopic compositions of meteorites and lunar samples to better understand their formation and to gain insights into the chemical nature of their parent materials. Trace elements, and particularly the rare-earth elements (REE), are sensitive indicators of igneous differentiation processes, as they typically partition strongly into either the liquid or crystal phase of a magma system. Primitive Achondrites Basaltic Achondrites Angrites
Noble Gas Studies	This work centers on the history and development of the solar system as deciphered by noble gas mass spectrometry. Observations of isotopic effects in the rare gases from various nuclear reactions, pre-solar components and decay of extinct radionuclides impose constraints upon the origin of the elements and upon the early history of the solar system. Iodine-129 Spallation Neon-21 Kr-Kr Dating Natural Fisson Reactors Tellurium-128 GENESIS
Instrumentation	The equipment in our laboratory includes sample preparation equipment, such as optical microscopes, clean benches, polishing and sawing equipment, balances, ovens, ultrasonic cleaner, evaporators, microbalances, clean room with micromanipulators and a meteorite processing lab. In addition, we certainly have a variety of 'bigger' instruments, which are described in more detail: SEM Ultramicrotome TEM Noble Gas Laboratory TIMS Auger Spectroscopy The Auger Nanoprobe Home Page IMS 3f SIMS NanoSIMS The NanoSIMS Home Page What is SIMS?
By the way: What does that logo on the top of this page stand for? Find out.
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