Possible Experiments to Measure Effect of Impact Events on Sub Atomic Particles

[Alex_Krycek]

For areas of the Earth that have experienced significant impact events, something measurable on the Torino Scale, would there be any possible way to measure effects on the subatomic particles within the radius of the impact?  If so, what effects might one be looking for?  For example, how could one setup an experiment to measure possible subatomic effects of the Vredefort Impact event in Southern Africa?

 

Stony asteroid impacts that generate an airburst^[19]

Impactor diameter	Kinetic energy at		Airburst altitude	Average frequency (years)	Recorded fireballs (CNEOS) (1988-2018)
	atmospheric entry	airburst
4 m (13 ft)	3 kt	0.75 kt	42.5 km (139,000 ft)	1.3	54
7 m (23 ft)	16 kt	5 kt	36.3 km (119,000 ft)	4.6	15
10 m (33 ft)	47 kt	19 kt	31.9 km (105,000 ft)	10	2
15 m (49 ft)	159 kt	82 kt	26.4 km (87,000 ft)	27	1
20 m (66 ft)	376 kt	230 kt	22.4 km (73,000 ft)	60	1
30 m (98 ft)	1.3 Mt	930 kt	16.5 km (54,000 ft)	185	0
50 m (160 ft)	5.9 Mt	5.2 Mt	8.7 km (29,000 ft)	764	0
70 m (230 ft)	16 Mt	15.2 Mt	3.6 km (12,000 ft)	1,900	0
85 m (279 ft)	29 Mt	28 Mt	0.58 km (1,900 ft)	3,300	0
Based on density of 2600 kg/m3, speed of 17 km/s, and an impact angle of 45°

 

Edited June 15, 2022 by Alex_Krycek

[Sensei]

13 minutes ago, Alex_Krycek said:

what effects might one be looking for? 

An unusual isotopic composition?

Iron with unusual spin orientation?

Edited June 15, 2022 by Sensei

[Alex_Krycek]

30 minutes ago, Sensei said:

An unusual isotopic composition?

Iron with unusual spin orientation?

Thanks.  So probably the easiest way would be to examine physical materials from the affected environment.  Would investigating anomalies in radiation levels be relevant or not really?

[Sensei]

@Alex_Krycek

https://www.google.com/search?q=oxygen-17+asteroids

e.g.

http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Dec01/Oisotopes.html

"The mixtures of oxygen isotopes in the Earth, Mars, and the asteroids differ slightly. If we knew why they differ we could learn more about the origin of asteroids and planets and the formation of the solar system."

"The oxygen isotopic compositions of rocks from Earth, Mars, and the asteroid Vesta, the largest asteroid that melted, define three parallel lines on this plot of ¹⁷O / ¹⁶O vs. ¹⁸O / ¹⁶O. The lines are parallel because on each body the oxygen isotopes were separated according to their masses, when the rocks formed. Cosmochemists measure the ¹⁸O / ¹⁶O and ¹⁷O / ¹⁶O ratios in terms of deviations in parts per thousand from a standard (delta ¹⁸O and delta ¹⁷O). The usual standard is mean ocean water, abbreviated SMOW, for Standard Mean Ocean Water. Pure ¹⁶O would plot at -1000 parts per thousand on both axes. "

"If you go to Mars and repeat the experiment you will find that the oxygen isotopic ratios follow the same relationship, but with one important difference. When you compare an Earth rock to a Mars rock with the same ¹⁸O / ¹⁶O ratio, you will find that the Martian rock has a slightly higher ¹⁷O / ¹⁶O ratio, as shown in the diagram above. The difference is small, about 3 parts in 10,000, but significant because oxygen is the only element that shows this effect, and because geological processes on the two planets cannot be responsible for the difference. (On Vesta, the largest melted asteroid, the corresponding ¹⁷O / ¹⁶O ratio is about 3 parts in 10,000 lower, and on the Moon, the isotopic ratios appear to be identical to terrestrial values: any difference is less than 0.2 parts per 10,000.)"

 

 

 

https://global.jaxa.jp/article/special/itokawa/yurimoto_e.html

"Using Oxygen to Trace the Origins of Meteorites"

Edited June 15, 2022 by Sensei

[swansont]

8 hours ago, Alex_Krycek said:

For areas of the Earth that have experienced significant impact events, something measurable on the Torino Scale, would there be any possible way to measure effects on the subatomic particles within the radius of the impact?  If so, what effects might one be looking for?  For example, how could one setup an experiment to measure possible subatomic effects of the Vredefort Impact event in Southern Africa?

Subatomic effects? Probably not.

The object itself might have a different composition than the area. The K-T impact, for example, deposited iridium and other rare-earth elements; the normal surface composition of chemicals is different. If there were radioactive isotopes, they will be present. But effects on terrestrial materials are most likely going to me macroscopic, such as melting due to high temperatures, and not subatomic.

8 hours ago, Sensei said:

Iron with unusual spin orientation?

What would be an unusual spin orientation? You have two options: up or down. 

[exchemist]

54 minutes ago, swansont said:

Subatomic effects? Probably not.

The object itself might have a different composition than the area. The K-T impact, for example, deposited iridium and other rare-earth elements; the normal surface composition of chemicals is different. If there were radioactive isotopes, they will be present. But effects on terrestrial materials are most likely going to me macroscopic, such as melting due to high temperatures, and not subatomic.

What would be an unusual spin orientation? You have two options: up or down. 

I seem to remember it can be more complicated than that in transition metal compounds, due to the presence of multiple valence electrons and the effect of the ligands on the relative stability of various d orbitals: cf. crystal (or ligand) field theory. But I have no idea how the crystal structure of minerals  might be affected in a meteorite impact event. 

[swansont]

2 hours ago, exchemist said:

I seem to remember it can be more complicated than that in transition metal compounds, due to the presence of multiple valence electrons and the effect of the ligands on the relative stability of various d orbitals: cf. crystal (or ligand) field theory. But I have no idea how the crystal structure of minerals  might be affected in a meteorite impact event. 

That would be another macroscopic, thermally-influenced event. There could be others.