Takanao Saiki

C-type asteroids are the presumed home to carbonaceous chondrites, some of which contain abundant life-forming volatiles and organics. For the first time, samples from a C-type asteroid (162173 Ryugu) were successfully returned to Earth by JAXA's Hayabusa2 mission. These pristine samples, uncontaminated by the terrestrial environment, allow a direct comparison with carbonaceous chondrites. This study reports the stable K isotopic compositions (expressed as δ41K) of Ryugu samples and seven carbonaceous chondrites to constrain the origin of K isotopic variations in the early Solar System. Three aliquots of Ryugu particles collected at two touchdown sites have identical δ41K values, averaged at −0.194 ± 0.038‰ (2SD). The K isotopic composition of Ryugu falls within the range of δ41K values measured on representative CI chondrites, and together, they define an average δ41K value of −0.185 ± 0.078‰ (2SE), which provides the current best estimate of the K isotopic composition of the bulk Solar System. Samples of CI chondrites with δ41K values that deviate from this range likely reflect terrestrial contaminations or compositional heterogeneities at sampled sizes. In addition to CI chondrites, substantial K isotopic variability is observed in other carbonaceous chondrites and within individual chondritic groups, with δ41K values inversely correlated with K abundances in many cases. These observations indicate widespread fluid activity occurred in chondrite parent bodies, which significantly altered the original K abundances and isotopic compositions of chondrules and matrices established at their accretion.

Large amounts of nitrogen compounds, such as ammonium salts, may be stored in icy bodies and comets, but the transport of these nitrogen-bearing solids into the near-Earth region is not well understood. Here, we report the discovery of iron nitride on magnetite grains from the surface of the near-Earth C-type carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu, suggesting inorganic nitrogen fixation. Micrometeoroid impacts and solar wind irradiation may have caused the selective loss of volatile species from major iron-bearing minerals to form the metallic iron. Iron nitride is a product of nitridation of the iron metal by impacts of micrometeoroids that have higher nitrogen contents than the CI chondrites. The impactors are probably primitive materials with origins in the nitrogen-rich reservoirs in the outer Solar System. Our observation implies that the amount of nitrogen available for planetary formation and prebiotic reactions in the inner Solar System is greater than previously recognized.

Abstract Samples from asteroid Ryugu, brought back by asteroid explorer Hayabusa2, are important for investigating the origin and evolution of the solar system. Here, we report the elemental compositions of a 123‐mg Ryugu sample determined with a nondestructive muon elemental analysis method. This method is a powerful tool for determining bulk chemical composition, including light elements such as C, N, and O. From the muonic x‐ray spectra with three carbonaceous chondrites, the relationship between the elemental composition and muonic x‐ray intensity was determined for each element. Calibration curves showed linearity, and the elemental composition of Ryugu was quantitatively determined. The results reflect the average bulk elemental composition of asteroid Ryugu owing to the large amount of samples. Ryugu has an elemental composition similar to that of Orgueil (CI1) and should be classified as CI1. However, the O/Si ratio of Ryugu is 25% lower than that of Orgueil, indicating that Orgueil may have been seriously contaminated by terrestrial materials after its fall to Earth. These results indicate that the Ryugu sample is more representative than the CI chondrites as a solid material of the solar system.

Characterization of the elemental distribution of samples with rough surfaces has been strongly desired for the analysis of various natural and artificial materials. Particularly for pristine and rare analytes with micrometer sizes embedded on specimen surfaces, non-invasive and matrix effect-free analysis is required without surface polishing treatment. To satisfy these requirements, we proposed a new method employing the sequential combination of two imaging modalities, i.e., microenergy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) and Raman micro-spectroscopy. The applicability of the developed method is tested by the quantitative analysis of cation composition in micrometer-sized carbonate grains on the surfaces of intact particles sampled directly from the asteroid Ryugu. The first step of micro-XRF imaging enabled a quick search for the sparsely scattered and micrometer-sized carbonates by the codistributions of Ca2+ and Mn2+ on the Mg2+- and Fe2+-rich phyllosilicate matrix. The following step of Raman micro-spectroscopy probed the carbonate grains and analyzed their cation composition (Ca2+, Mg2+, and Fe2+ + Mn2+) in a matrix effect-free manner via the systematic Raman shifts of the lattice modes. The carbonates were basically assigned to ferroan dolomite bearing a considerable amount of Fe2+ + Mn2+ at around 10 atom %. These results are in good accordance with the assignments reported by scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, where the thin-sectioned and surface-polished Ryugu particles were applicable. The proposed method requires neither sectioning nor surface polishing; hence, it can be applied to the remote sensing apparatus on spacecrafts and planetary rovers. Furthermore, the non-invasive and matrix effect-free characterization will provide a reliable analytical tool for quantitative analysis of the elemental distribution on the samples with surface roughness and chemical heterogeneity at a micrometer scale, such as art paintings, traditional crafts with decorated shapes, as well as sands and rocks with complex morphologies in nature.