A groundbreaking study by Linda Losurdo, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, successfully simulated the extreme chemical environment in space in the laboratory. By mixing nitrogen, carbon dioxide and acetylene in high-voltage electrical plasma, he recreated a piece of the universe inside a bottle in his laboratory, generating cosmic dust from scratch. The findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal; This research provides an entirely new way to reverse-engineer the chemical history of celestial bodies. Scientists can use this process to examine infrared spectral fingerprints to determine the chemical pathways that led to the synthesis of complex organic molecules, the building blocks of life, before the emergence of life on Earth.
Scientists replicate the birth of cosmic dust
Researchers used it in the Plasma Physics Laboratory of the University of Sydney. In the experiment, the team of Ms. Losurdo and her supervisor, Professor David McKenzie, used a vacuum pump to extract air from glass tubes, recreating the near-vacuum conditions of space. Then nitrogen, carbon dioxide and acetylene were introduced. The gas mixture was exposed to an electrical potential of about 10,000 volts for about an hour, creating a type of plasma known as a glow discharge. New laboratory analysis methods allow researchers to measure the effects of dust-forming ions and the temperature and pressure conditions in stellar nebulae, which may help scientists better understand the chemical composition of asteroids and meteorite materials by providing a new way to interpret the chemical signatures found in asteroids and meteorites.
Did the elements of life come from space?
Researchers have created analogs that contain certain elements (carbon dioxide, acetylene, and nitrogen) that, when combined, are known as CHON (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen). CHON is very important in the production of organic compounds and is believed to have come to Earth from comet and asteroid impacts billions of years ago. By determining how CHON forms in high-energy conditions (such as during a supernova), scientists will determine whether the building blocks of life formed in space before being brought to Earth. This research provides scientists with an experimental framework to test these hypotheses of the origin of life and would not require waiting for alien materials to return to Earth.
How data developed in the laboratory will enhance astronomical observations
The ultimate objective behind this project is to create a comprehensive database of infrared spectral signatures developed through laboratory production of cosmic particulate matter, or cosmic dust. Currently, scientists identify space-based materials through measurement of the infrared emissions associated with those materials; Thus, the project must source ‘molecular fingerprints’ (i.e., a reference collection) from materials produced under defined laboratory conditions. Once completed, this resource will help astronomers more accurately and well-supported identification and analysis of candidate sources of interest in outer space (for example, stellar nurseries and the remains of dead stars). This will further improve our knowledge of the various chemical and physical processes that influence the evolution of our galaxy.
