Natural Thermoluminescence Levels in Antarctic Meteorites and Related Studies

该奖项支持一个通过测量自然热发光(TL)水平来表征南极陨石特征的项目。这项工作是对所有南极陨石进行的基本表征计划的一部分，用于确定未来南极陨石的研究途径。该计划将测量尽可能多的南极陨石中的天然TL水平，并将数据迅速提供给社区。这些数据将用于确定陨石的配对(碎裂)、轨道分布、估计陨石的近似地球年龄，以及识别具有异常热和辐射历史的陨石或那些在矿物学上不寻常的陨石。为了提高这些数据的价值，还对其他地外样品(大陨石和月球样品)的天然热释光剖面进行了研究，并将热释光数据与宇宙成因放射性核素丰度进行了比较。在获奖过程中，自然热释光实验室将(1)继续系统测量所有合适的南极样本的自然热释光，作为初步筛选的一部分，(2)检查可能存在几个非常大的配对组的个别南极地点的配对和自然热释光分布，(3)继续详细汇编配对数据，以及(4)进行理论和实验研究，以用于解释南极陨石的热释光数据，包括对现代瀑布、月球样本和世界其他地区发现的其他研究。

This award supports a project to characterize Antarctic meteorites by measuring natural thermoluminescense (TL) levels. This work is part of the basic characterization program carried out on all Antarctic meteorites and is used to determine future research avenues on the Antarctic meteorites. This program will measure the natural TL levels in as many Antarctic meteorites as possible and will make the data rapidly available to the community. The data will be used to determine pairing (fragmentation), orbital distribution, estimate approximate terrestrial ages of meteorites, and to identify meteorites with unusual thermal and radiation histories or those that are mineralogically unusual. To enhance the value of these data, studies are also conducted on natural TL profiles in other extraterrestrial samples (large meteorites and lunar samples) and comparisons are made between TL data and cosmogenic radionuclide abundances. Over the course of this award, the natural TL laboratory will (1) continue systematic measurement of the natural TL of all suitable Antarctic samples as part of their preliminary screening, (2) examine pairing and natural TL distributions for individual Antarctic sites, where several very large pairing groups may exist, (3) continue the detailed compilation of pairing data, and (4) perform theoretical and experimental studies to use in the interpretation of TL data in Antarctic meteorites, including additional studies of modern falls, lunar samples, and of finds from other regions of the world.