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Updated: Jul 23, 2026
16:20
Hyperpolarized Xenon for NMR and MRI Applications
Published on: September 6, 2012
Xenomict energy in cold solids in space
Russell Seitz1, John C Raymond, Jochen Kissel
1Mnestheus@aol.com
Die Naturwissenschaften
|December 20, 2005
Summary
Minerals in deep space accumulate radiation damage over eons. Warming these materials can release stored energy, potentially explaining cometary outbursts and impacting celestial bodies.
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Materials Science
- Cosmochemistry
Background:
- Metamict minerals on Earth are rare due to self-annealing of radiation damage at terrestrial temperatures.
- In deep space (below 100 K), reduced atomic mobility allows lattice defects to accumulate over eons, storing significant energy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential energetic consequences of stored radiation damage in cold, deep-space materials.
- To explore if defect recombination upon warming can explain phenomena like cometary outbursts.
Main Methods:
- Dimensional analysis was used to model energy release from radiation-damaged "xenomict" solids.
- The study considered warming mechanisms such as impacts, gravitational infall, and perihelion passage.
Main Results:
- Energetic defect recombination in xenomict solids may raise internal temperatures sufficiently to melt ice and vaporize gases.
- This mechanism could potentially explain observed cometary outbursts and results from experiments like Deep Impact.
Conclusions:
- Stored radiation damage in cold space materials is a viable energy source.
- Further calorimetric experiments are necessary to quantify the energy release from irradiated materials.
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