レーザー加熱法による宇宙物質の高感度希ガス質量分析―宇宙塵から「はやぶさ」試料まで―

抄録

Experimental improvements in noble gas mass spectrometry performed in my laboratory are reviewed. Objective of the improvements was to measure ultra-small amounts of noble gases in extraterrestrial materials such as meteorites and cosmic dust particles by using a laser microprobe to extract noble gases. The improved mass spectrometers and experimental techniques were finally applied to tiny asteroidal grains from asteroid Itokawa provided by the Hayabusa sample return mission. Here I present new findings occurring on small asteroids elucidated from our noble gas data obtained for the Hayabusa samples.