MIT News breed · Wetenschap

Meteorite dust reveals ancient magnetism's role in solar system formation

Scientists have discovered evidence of ancient magnetism in the oldest known meteorite samples, suggesting that magnetic fields played a significant role in the formation of the early solar system, alongside gravity.

MIT scientists analyzed microscopic grains, called calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), from a meteorite found in Antarctica. These CAIs formed within the first 200,000 years of the solar system's existence, making them the oldest solar system material available for study.

The findings indicate that a magnetic field, estimated to be three to 12 times stronger than Earth's current magnetic field, existed during the solar nebula phase. This nebular magnetic field likely aided in the aggregation of primordial matter to form the early sun.

Researchers theorize that the collapsing gas and dust cloud could have generated a plasma of charged particles. As these charges spun within the developing disk, they could have produced and sustained a magnetic field. Tiny magnetic minerals within the condensing material would have then locked in the strength of this field, preserving it over billions of years.

The study focused on a particularly primitive meteorite, DOM 08006, which has retained its original composition and minerals remarkably well over 4.5 billion years. By isolating and testing magnetic minerals within CAIs from this meteorite, the team measured traces of this ancient magnetic field.

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