0598753 - ÚFCH JH 2025 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Shorttle, O. - Saeidfirozeh, Homa - Rimmer, P. B. - Laitl, Vojtěch - Kubelík, Petr - Petera, Lukáš - Ferus, Martin
Impact sculpting of the early martian atmosphere.
Science Advances. Roč. 10, č. 37 (2024), č. článku eadm9921. ISSN 2375-2548. E-ISSN 2375-2548
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA21-11366S
Institutional support: RVO:61388955
Keywords : electron-ion recombination * noble-gases * solar-system * thermal ionization * earths atmosphere * planet formation * late accretion * shock-waves * xenon * evolution
OECD category: Physical chemistry
Impact factor: 11.7, year: 2023 ; AIS: 5.093, rok: 2023
Method of publishing: Open access
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adm9921

Intense bombardment of solar system planets in the immediate aftermath of protoplanetary disk dissipation has played a key role in their atmospheric evolution. During this epoch, energetic collisions will have removed substantial masses of gas from rocky planet atmospheres. Noble gases are powerful tracers of this early atmospheric history, xenon in particular, which on Mars and Earth shows significant depletions and isotopic fractionations relative to the lighter noble gasses. To evaluate the effect of impacts on the loss and fractionation of xenon, we measure its ionization and recombination efficiency by laser shock and apply these constraints to model impact-driven atmospheric escape on Mars. We demonstrate that impact bombardment within the first 200 to 300 million years of solar system history generates the observed Xe depletion and isotope fractionation of the modern martian atmosphere. This process may also explain the Xe depletion recorded in Earth's deep mantle and provides a latest date for the timing of giant planet instability.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0356352