Observation of Allende and Antarctic meteorites by monochromatic X-ray CT based on synchrotron radiation

概要

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Three-dimensional CT images of the Allende meteorite with a high resolution of 10μm have been obtained nondestructively by a monochromatic X-ray computed tomography (CT) based on synchrotron radiation (SR). The metallic minerals, matrix and chondrules can be clearly observed in the CT images. The CT values, which express the image intensity, allow a quantitative elemental analysis including such as difference in the metallic minerals, i. e., pentlandite and troilite, using the comparison of CT images and elemental images measured by a computer-aided microanalyzer (CMA). The three-dimensional CT images indicate that the metallic minerals surround some chondrules, and the largest chondrule has two humps and well crystallized olivine in its center. These observations suggest that the three-dimensional SR-CT system is a useful method for identification of internal structures of stony meteorites. Additionally, information obtained from the CT images of Antarctic meteorites confirms that the SR-CT system can be applied to classification of stony chondrites.
国立極地研究所の論文