Employing Magnetic Field Records at Key Moments in Planetary Evolution

Abstract

The analysis of the paleomagnetic record in meteorites provides a unique and powerful viewpoint on early solar system and planetary evolution. Indeed, meteorites are the only tangible objects that bore witness to these important events, making their records particularly precious. In this thesis, I present my dissertation work that addresses how the meteoritic paleomagnetic record and additional records from materials provided by return sample missions can be used to study three stages in early solar system and planetary evolution: I) The protoplanetary disk; II) The initial melting on the first planetary bodies; and III) The early interior evolution of modern planets. I address Stage I through a paleomagnetic analysis of returned samples from asteroid Ryugu to determine the role of magnetic fields in stellar accretion in the distal solar system (Chapter 2). I address Stage II through a paleomagnetic analysis of the Acapulco primitive achondrite (Chapter 3) and micromagnetic modeling of the ferromagnetic mineral tetrataenite (Chapter 4) to eludcidate core formation on small bodies. Lastly, I address Stage III through preparation for paleomagnetic studies of future returned samples from the Perseverance rover to determine the lifetime and properties of the Martian dynamo (Chapters 5 and 6). I end with a brief conclusion and ideas for future work.