INSPIRE Track 1: Following the Carbon Trail in Planetary Formation

这个INSPIRE奖部分由天文科学司和多学科活动办公室的特别项目计划资助，这两个部门都在数学和物理科学局，地球科学理事会地球科学部岩石学和地球化学项目。该项目结合了两个智力不同领域的前沿研究（天文学和地球化学），以便大大推进对类地行星如何形成和发展生物圈的理解。 主要目标集中在太阳星云中占主导地位的含碳分子是如何被纳入原始地球的，以及它们是如何在地球之间进行地质循环的。的内部和氛围。 这项工作将通过结合行星形成盘的天文观测（与阿尔马和凯克天文台），涉及熔融熔岩的实验室实验，以及太阳星云中含碳化合物的天体化学建模，限制碳向地球输送的模型。 天文学家将使用阿塔卡马大型毫米/亚毫米阵列（阿尔马）和凯克天文台分别获得周星盘中含碳分子的无线电和红外光谱，以测量碳预算如何在气相和固相分子之间分配，以及有多少被星光照射破坏（或化学还原）。 与此同时，地球化学家将进行实验，以更好地了解碳如何在内部和表面之间循环，这在维持地球方面发挥了很大的作用。的生物圈。 他们的实验重点是来自周围行星形成环境的物质与年轻地球熔融硅酸盐表面之间的化学交换。这些实验将把碳质陨石（来自阿连德和宅基地陨石）制成的样品置于不同的温度和压力下，然后测量碳的溶解度和分配。研究人员将与研究生和博士后学者合作进行研究，并通过入门课程和网络界面工具与K-12系统的教师合作。

This INSPIRE award is partially funded by the Special Projects program of the Division of Astronomical Sciences and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities, both in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and by the the Petrology and Geochemistry Program in the Division of Earth Science in the Directorate for Geosciences.This project combines cutting-edge research from two intellectually distinct areas (astronomy and geochemistry) in order to significantly advance understanding of how terrestrial planets form and develop a biosphere. The main goal focuses on how dominant carbon-bearing molecules in the solar nebula were incorporated into the primordial Earth and how they were geologically cycled between the planet?s interior and atmosphere. This work will constrain models of carbon delivery to the Earth by combining astronomical observations of planet-forming disks (with ALMA and Keck observatories), laboratory experiments involving molten lava, and astrochemical modeling of carbon-bearing compounds in the solar nebula. The astronomers will use the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter ARRAY (ALMA) and Keck Observatory to obtain radio and infrared spectra, respectively, of carbon-bearing molecules in circumstellar disks to measure how the carbon budget is allocated between molecules in the gas and solid phase, and how much of it is destroyed (or chemically reduced) by starlight irradiation. In parallel, the geochemists will conduct experiments in order to better understand how carbon cycles between the interior and surface, which plays a large role in maintaining Earth?s biosphere. Their experiments focus on the chemical exchange between material from the surrounding planet-forming environment and the molten silicate surface of the young Earth. The experiments will subject samples made from carbonaceous chondrites (from Allende and Homestead meteorites) to varying temperatures and pressures and then measure solubility and partitioning of carbon. The researchers will work with graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in their research, and with teachers in the K-12 system through introductory courses and web-interface tools.