Excimer Laser Experiments on Mixed Silicates Simulating Space Weathering on Mercury

Kurzfassung

In this work, we present near and mid-infrared spectra of olivine-pyroxene mineral mixtures irradiated with a pulsed ArF UV excimer laser. Our experimental set-up simulates micrometeorite bombardment as one possible source of space weathering. The absence of transparency features of the irradiated samples indicates grain coarsening upon laser bombardment. Furthermore, the obvious darkening of the irradiated sample surface might be an effect of agglutination.