Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p43b1669c&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P43B-1669
Physics
[5470] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Surface Materials And Properties
Scientific paper
The microscope station of the Phoenix Lander returned over one thousand optical microscope (OM) images and nearly one hundred atomic-force-microscope (AFM) scans which gave us the most detailed look at the surface of Mars so far [1]. We are using this data to create a digital representation of the soil, one particle at a time. We present here the first step in this process; the creation of a soil particle population that matches the particle-size distribution (PSD) derived from the Phoenix observations [2]. The PSD has revealed a significant quantity of information, one of them being the fragmentation process which takes place at various length scales in terms of the fractal dimension [3]. The PSD can be expressed as a series of cascading power laws in the relationship between cumulative mass and particle size, with the exponent linked to the process relevant at a particular length scale while the mass proportion denotes the prevalence of that process. These processes can be linked to the type of formation that has taken place, including the role, if any, of water, in producing the soil. Software for the generation of particle fields from a specific family of fractal dimensions has been implemented. By taking advantage of the knowledge of the fractal dimensions appearing in the soil, it faithfully represents the particle population by digitally reverse engineering of the power law. Assuming initially spherical particles and constant density and carefully choosing the right amount of volume for each range of particle radii that consists of a single fractal dimension, a digital soil can be synthesised representing the existing soil on Mars. The resulting digital soil can be used as an input in existing discrete element modelling code [4] to simulate the behaviour of the soil under martian conditions, including reduced gravity and appropriate adhesion forces, to provide a virtual laboratory for soil experimentation. Simulation under an array of different parameters can help further examine the soil and dust in detail, clarify ambiguities as well as verify the current in-situ research results. Such a programme represents a digital sample return that can incorporate the growing database of soil properties based on both past and future missions.
Charalambous C.
Goetz Walter
Hecht Michael H.
Pike William T.
Staufer Urs
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