Colloquium: Jemma Davidson

Jemma Davidson, NASA Astrobiology Institute Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science

Abstract - The study of pristine astromaterials, such as interplanetary dust particles and chondritic meteorites, provides us with the opportunity to explore the chemistry of the early Solar System and identify matter inherited from the interstellar medium. By characterizing the organic matter, presolar grains, and mineralogy within these samples we can not only identify the least altered extraterrestrial material and investigate its formation conditions, but we can also trace parent body alteration and determine how this material evolved. I will discuss combined microscopy, spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry studies of early Solar System materials.