Lab-made cosmic dust offers clues to life’s origins
8 reported
Researchers at the University of Sydney have created cosmic dust in a laboratory by simulating space-like conditions inside glass tubes. The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared signals similar to real material found in space. The experiment was conducted by PhD candidate Linda Losurdo, who combined nitrogen, carbon dioxide and acetylene and exposed the gases to a powerful electrical charge. The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal of the American Astronomical Society. The laboratory dust contains complex combinations of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, known as CHON molecules. The team plans to assemble a database of infrared fingerprints from lab-made cosmic dust to help astronomers identify where certain forms of dust are produced in space. Losurdo received the award for best presentation for this research at the international Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society late last year.
What’s reported
Researchers at the University of Sydney created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life.
The experiment used nitrogen, carbon dioxide and acetylene exposed to an electrical potential of around 10,000 volts for approximately one hour.
The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal of the American Astronomical Society.
The laboratory dust contains CHON molecules (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen).
The team plans to assemble a database of infrared fingerprints from different types of lab-made cosmic dust.
Losurdo received the award for best presentation for this research at the international Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society late last year.
The authors reported no competing interests and acknowledged support from the University of Sydney node of Microscopy Australia and funding from the Australian Research Council.
Key figures
Linda Losurdo, PhD candidate in materials and plasma physics, School of Physics, University of Sydney
Professor David McKenzie, coauthor of the study and Losurdo's supervisor
Sources: ScienceDaily
