2026-01-08 オックスフォード大学
The Campo del Cielo iron meteorite used in the study. Credit: Eric Halwax.
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01-08-new-study-simulates-asteroid-impact-and-reveals-hidden-strength-space-rocks
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66912-4
440 GeV陽子線照射下における小惑星物質の強度と安定性の動的発達 Dynamical development of strength and stability of asteroid material under 440 GeV proton beam irradiation
M. Bochmann,K.-G. Schlesinger,C. D. Arrowsmith,P. Alexaki,M. Alfonso Poza,M. Ambarki,E. M. Andersen,P. J. Bilbao,R. Bingham,F. D. Cruz,A. Ebn Rahmoun,A. M. Goillot,J. W. D. Halliday,B. T. Huffman,E. Kamenicka,M. Lazzaroni,B. Lloyd,E. E. Los,J.-M. Quetsch,B. Reville,P. Rousiadou,S. Sarkar,L. O. Silva,P. Simon,… G. Gregori
Nature Communications Published:28 November 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66912-4
Abstract
Asteroid materials experience rapid thermoelastic and plastic stress evolution when subjected to high-energy irradiation – an effect that has not previously been captured through non-destructive, time-resolved experiments. Yet, accurate modeling of asteroid deflection scenarios, such as those proposed for planetary defense, critically depends on precise knowledge of the material’s mechanical behavior under extreme conditions to predict kinetic energy transfer and orbital deviation. In an experimental campaign at CERN’s High Radiation to Materials facility (HiRadMat), we irradiated a Campo del Cielo iron meteorite sample with 440 GeV protons from the Super Proton Synchrotron. Using Laser Doppler Vibrometry, we captured the resulting thermally induced stress waves in real time. Our results demonstrate that asteroid materials can absorb significantly more energy without structural failure than normal material parameters would suggest. Crucially, we were able to reproduce–under controlled laboratory conditions–the discrepancy factor observed between laboratory-derived yield strength values and those inferred from atmospheric meteor breakup events.
