Work

Origin and Evolution of Extraterrestrial Ozone in the JWST, JUICE, and Europa Clipper Era: A Laboratory Investigation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Ozone (O 3 ) is considered among the most promising biosignatures to look for inside and outside the solar system, i.e., in planetary atmospheres and surfaces as well as in the atmosphere of exoplanets. Recent studies show that the O 3 detection in exoplanetary atmospheres is already achievable with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and also the search for O 3 ice on the surface of several icy worlds will be soon possible thanks to the JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) and Europa Clipper space missions (in addition to JWST). In this context, we noticed that there is a lack of insight when considering the possible radiolytic production of O 3 within ices of different oxygen-bearing species which may be found on icy extraterrestrial surfaces (and consequently also released to enrich their atmospheres). We report here a comparative laboratory study on the production of O 3 from several ion irradiated ices and icy mixtures: CO, CO:N 2, CO:SO 2, CO 2, H 2 O:CO 2, N 2 O, NO 2:N 2 O 4, and pure O 2 . The samples were processed with 200 keV protons (unless otherwise specified) and analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy at 16 K. Our aim is to contribute to the understanding of how much O 3 could be produced by energetic charged particles irradiating different oxygen-bearing ice species and compare these results to the case of O 2 ice. We believe that the results presented in the current study may have a great scientific impact, especially in view of the future exploration of the icy worlds of the solar system and the current and future exploration of exoplanets by the ongoing and the upcoming space missions.

Source: ACS Earth and Space Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.4c00415

Authors: Daniele Fulvio, Riccardo Giovanni Urso, Carlotta Scirè, Giuseppe Antonio Baratta, Giovanni Strazzulla, Maria Elisabetta Palumbo

Institution: Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania

Language: English

Topic: Astro and Planetary Science

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,500

Funders: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica