1,2Futing Yin, 1,2,3Hong Tang, 1,2Tian Zhang, 4Tingfeng Cheng, 1,2,3Xiongyao Li, 1Hong Jin, 1Yuanyun Wen, 5Xiangliang Pan, 1,2,3Jianzhong Liu
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 131, e2026JE009805 Link to Article [DOI: 10.1029/2026JE009805]
1Center for Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China
2College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
3CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, China
4College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
5Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons
Organic matter (OM) in C‐type asteroids provides important insights into the early evolution ofthe solar system and the origin of life on Earth. However, the responses of different types of OM to spaceweathering remain unclear. Here, we performed a He+ irradiation experiment on the Murchison meteorite tosimulate the solar wind irradiation process; the experiment was conducted at a fluence of 1.2 × 1017 ions/cm2,simulating the solar wind exposure of a C‐type asteroid over an 800‐year timescale. Raman and nanoscaleinfrared spectroscopy were used to analyze the changes in OM after He+ irradiation. The nano‐IR spectrarevealed the presence of six organic functional groups (carboxylic acids, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons,amides, amino acids, and aldehydes) within the macromolecular and soluble OM of the Murchison matrix.Irradiation led to an increase in the disorder of OM and reduction in the total OM content via the disruption of Cbonds in macromolecular organic compounds and sputtering of their constituent atoms and molecules. Aliphatichydrocarbons were modified to the greatest degree while aromatic hydrocarbons were more resistant to He+irradiation. These findings enhance our understanding of the formation and evolution of extraterrestrial OMduring the process of solar wind irradiation.
