ABSTRACT
The isotopic enrichment of argon, krypton, and xenon, when trapped in water ice, was studied experimentally. The isotopes were found to be enriched according to their (m1/m2)1/2 ratio. These enrichment factors could be useful for comparison among the uncertain cosmic or solar isotopic ratios, the hopeful in situ cometary ratio, and those in Earth's atmosphere, in the context of cometary delivery of volatiles to Earth.
Subject(s)
Argon/chemistry , Exobiology , Ice/analysis , Krypton/chemistry , Water/chemistry , Argon/analysis , Isotopes , Krypton/analysis , Meteoroids , Xenon/analysis , Xenon/chemistry , Xenon Isotopes/analysis , Xenon Isotopes/chemistryABSTRACT
Water ice was shown experimentally to retain trapped gases beyond the transformation temperature of amorphous ice to cubic ice. The amount of retained gases, which emerge during the transformation of cubic ice to hexagonal ice and when the ice evaporates, depends linearly on the thickness of the ice layer. Implications to comets are discussed.
