Destabilization of olivine by 30-keV electron irradiation: a possible mechanism of space weathering affecting interplanetary dust particles and planetary surfaces

Electron irradiation experiments were performed using a 30-keV electron beam on single crystals of olivine in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and in an electron microprobe (EMP). We determined that, under certain conditions, structural damage is caused to the irradiated surface of iron-bearing olivines. The irradiated areas comprise spherules with sizes of hundreds of nanometers and micrometer-sized holes. In the immediate vicinities of the irradiated areas, droplets with sizes of tens of nanometers and branching tracks are observed. With increasing total charge, the hundreds of nanometer-sized spherules become larger and more irregular in shape. The size and shape of the nanometer-sized droplets remain almost constant, but their surface density increases (in m-2). Chemical fractionations compared to the initial olivine were found: the irradiated areas are slightly enriched in MgO, whereas the deposits are enriched in SiO2. Destabilization of olivine is not due to the dissipation of the implanted energy as heat, but results most probably from electrostatic discharges leading to the breakdown of the dielectric lattice. The possibility that such processes could be responsible for significant space weathering of interplanetary dust particles and regoliths of planetary surfaces should be taken into account. In the interplanetary medium, 10-keV range electrons are carried by the solar wind, whereas at 1 AU from the Sun, the lifetime of cometary dust and the exposure time of lunar regolith are, at least, 10 to 100 times greater than the duration required to accumulate the damaging electronic doses applied in this study. Moreover, the comparison of the microstructures of samples irradiated in the present study with features of lunar regolith grains reveals several chemical and structural similarities.