Scientists have long been investigating how water originated or got to planet Earth

New research by Professor Civiš's team at the Jaroslav Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry reveals a possible source of water on Earth. It could have originated on the surface of meteorites by bombardment by stellar (and in this case, solar) wind. PThe contribution of stellar winds to the formation of water on the surface of so-called oxide minerals has just been published in the prestigious Astrophysical journal.

Scientists have long been trying to figure out how water originated or got to planet Earth. Whether it happened during the formation of the Solar System or later - perhaps through the impact of bodies during the Great Late Bombardment of asteroids that struck Earth. Professor Svatopluk Civiš says: "I wanted to use laboratory experiments to get to the bottom of the origin of water on our planet."

A scientific team has come up with new findings about the origin of water on Earth and in other parts of the Universe. Using infrared spectrometry and the temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) method, it was found that bombarding oxygenated minerals with hydrogen atoms leads to the formation of water molecules that bind tightly to the surface of the minerals. These molecules remain stable even at very low pressures (10-⁹ Torr) and can withstand high temperatures, allowing their long-term retention and transport over long distances through space. The results suggest that the stellar wind could play a key role in bringing water not only to Earth but also to other bodies in the Solar System.

The research involved 14 samples of oxygenated minerals, including two meteorites, and showed that the adsorption capacity of water ranges between 0.09 and 0.7 %. These values suggest that solid material delivered to Earth during the Late Big Bombardment period - estimated at 10¹⁹ to 10²⁰ kg could contribute to the amount of water that now makes up the oceans. This hypothesis supports the theory that the origin of water may be related to processes on the surface of dust grains and minerals exposed to cosmic rays. In this way, scientists are trying to explain the origin of water not only in our Solar System, but also in more distant parts of the Universe, where stellar winds permanently replenish the supply of water adsorbed on minerals.

This research thus provides new insights into the interaction of cosmic rays with minerals and the importance of these processes for the formation and distribution of water in planetary systems.

Link to published work: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ad77cd

Institute of Astronomy of the CAS/ gnews - RoZ