Magnetic fields in the early solar system
Name
938904443-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
31.23 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
c61a8359cafa59037c53ed9bff18f82c
Author(s)
Fu, Roger R. (Roger Rennan)
Advisor(s)
Benjamin P. Weiss.
Date Issued
2015
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The first magnetic fields in the solar system were embedded in the ionized gas of the protoplanetary disk itself. Soon after, newly formed protoplanets may have harbored magnetic core dynamos. Paleomagnetic analysis of ancient samples permits direct constraints on these early solar system magnetic fields. Here I present paleomagnetic studies of several classes of meteorites. Experiments on inclusions of chondritic meteorites have led to some of the first constraints on the intensities of protoplanetary disk magnetic fields. Meanwhile, measurements of eucrites, a class of achondrites believed to originate from the asteroid Vesta, suggest that Vesta once hosted a magnetic core dynamo. New techniques developed during the course of these measurements permit ongoing and future investigations of the remanent magnetizations of new meteorites and terrestrial rocks. In support of the paleomagnetic results, I present analytical and numerical modeling of magnetic dust grain dynamics in the solar nebula and of the interior dynamics of differentiated asteroids capable of hosting magnetic dynamos.
Description
Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, 2015.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-283).
Subjects
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
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