Numerical simulations reveal the origin of barred olivine crystals in early solar system

(Press-News.org) Researchers from Nagoya City University, Tohoku University, and other institutions have used numerical simulations to replicate how a peculiar mineral texture called barred olivine forms inside chondrules—millimeter-sized spherical particles found in meteorites. These chondrules are considered time capsules from the early solar system, and barred olivine is a rare mineral texture not seen in Earth rocks.

Associate Professor Hitoshi Miura of Nagoya City University and the team was the first to reproduce this texture using numerical simulations and theoretically elucidate its formation process.

Using a phase-field model, the team simulated the rapid cooling of molten chondrules in a vacuum-like environment and found that the formation of barred olivine requires a cooling rate exceeding 1°C per second—faster than previously assumed. Their results indicate that conventional experimental conditions may underestimate how quickly chondrules cooled in space.

This work not only provides a new theoretical model for crystal growth under early solar system enrivonments but also has significant implications for understanding how planetary building blocks formed. The team is now preparing a microgravity experiment aboard the International Space Station to further validate their findings.

The study was published in Science Advances.

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