Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T00:12:57.044Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Plasma and collision processes of hypervelocity meteorite impact in the prehistory of life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2010

G. Managadze
G. Managadze
Affiliation:
Space Research Institute (IKI), Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsouznaya 84/32, GSP7, Moscow 117997, Russiae-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A new concept is proposed, according to which the plasma and collision processes accompanying hypervelocity impacts of meteorites can contribute to the arising of the conditions on early Earth, which are necessary for the appearance of primary forms of living matter. It was shown that the processes necessary for the emergence of living matter could have started in a plasma torch of meteorite impact and have continued in an impact crater in the case of the arising of the simplest life form.

It is generally accepted that planets are the optimal place for the origin and evolution of life. In the process of forming the planetary systems the meteorites, space bodies feeding planet growth, appear around stars. In the process of Earth's formation, meteorite sizes ranged from hundreds and thousands of kilometres. These space bodies consisted mostly of the planetesimals and comet nucleus. During acceleration in Earth's gravitational field they reached hypervelocity and, hitting the surface of planet, generated powerful blowouts of hot plasma in the form of a torch. They also created giant-size craters and dense dust clouds. These bodies were composed of all elements needed for the synthesis of organic compounds, with the content of carbon being up to 5%–15%.

A new idea of possible synthesis of the complex organic compounds in the hypervelocity impact-generated plasma torch was proposed and experimentally confirmed. A previously unknown and experimentally corroborated feature of the impact-generated plasma torch allowed a new concept of the prehistory of life to be developed. According to this concept the intensive synthesis of complex organic compounds arose during meteoritic bombardment in the first 0.5 billion years at the stage of the planet's formation. This most powerful and destructive action in Earth's history could have played a key role and prepared conditions for the origin of life.

In the interstellar gas–dust clouds, the synthesis of simple organic matter could have been explained by an identical process occurring in the plasma torch of hypervelocity collisions between submicron size dust particles. It is assumed that the processes occurred in the highly unbalanced hot plasma simultaneously with the synthesis of simple and complicated organic compounds, thereby ensuring their ordering and assembly.

Bona fide experimental evidence presented below indicates that the physical fields generated in the plasma environment in the process of the formation and expansion of the torch meet the main requirements toward “true” local chiral fields. These fields were very likely to be capable to trigger the initial, weak breaking of enantiomer symmetry and determine the “sign” of the asymmetry of the bioorganic world.

These fields could have worked as “trapping” fields influencing spontaneous processes occurring in highly overheated and nonequilibrium plasma in the state that is far from the thermodynamical branch of equilibrium and may have contributed to the formation of an environment needed for the synthesis of homochiral molecular structures, which, in turn, were needed for the emergence of the primary forms of living matter.

It has been shown experimentally that the plasma-chemical processes in the torch have high catalytic properties and assure the rise of the chemical reaction rates by 10–100 million times. In the process of the plasma flyaway this in turn can assure the fast formation of simple and complicated organic compounds, including hyper-branched polymers. It is possible to assume that predominantly inorganic substances from meteorites were used for the synthesis of complicated organic compounds on early Earth.

A laboratory experiment with hypervelocity impact plasma torch modelling by a laser with a Q-switch mode has shown the possibility of high-molecular organic compound synthesis, with mass of approximately 5000 a.m.u. by meteorite impact with an effective diameter of 100 mkm. The target contained only H, C, N and O elements in inorganic forms. The approximation of the curve received in these experiments has shown that molecular structures comparable in mass with the protoviroid (a hypothetical primogenitor of the biosphere) and could have been synthesized as a result of the impact of a meteorite of a millimetre-size range.

Observable characteristics of the synthesis processes suggest high catalytic activity of the plasma medium and high speed of plasma-chemical reactions, combined with ordering and assemblage processes. This suggests that the plasma torch with a huge local density of energy and matter may be the optimal medium for the synthesis of complex organic compounds needed for prebiotic evolution and the development of the primary form of living matter.

A new view of the impact crater provides the most interesting and unexpected consequence of the concept proposed. When considering the problem, it became evident that at a prebiotic stage of evolution there should be an environment in which a photogenic creature could have survived. The crater of the meteoric impact, which is capable of producing ‘a primogenitor of the biosphere’ environment sated with organic matter, moderate temperature and water for considerable time and becoming ‘a life cradle’, appears to be such an environment.

Having enormous energy, the meteorite impact is capable of injecting the newly created complicated organic compounds deep into the space body surfaces, including subsurface water reservoirs, such as Europe, Enchilada and Titan. In this case the meteorite impact has no natural alternative in the creation of initial conditions for the origin of extraterrestrial life. This possibility was confirmed by a laboratory impact model experiment, in which the plasma torch was created under the water surface.

The concept proposed is based on physical processes occurring in nature and on experimental results of impact experiments and subsequent modelling of their analogues in laboratory conditions. Thus, the realizability and survivability of this concept should be taken as well grounded due to the simplicity and clarity of the physical processes.

Keywords

meteorite impactplasma torcha biogenic synthesisorderingassemblingbreak of mirror symmetryenantiomer'scharity'simpact craterprotoviroid
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , July 2010 , pp. 157 - 174
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altstein, A.D. (1987). Mol. Biol.. (in Russia) 21(N 2), 309–322.Google Scholar
Avetisov, V.A. & Gol'danskii, V.I. (1996). Phys. Our Days (in Russian) 166(8), 873.Google Scholar
Avrorin, E.N. et al. (1996). Phys. Burning Explosion (in Russian) 32(N 2), 117.Google Scholar
Barak, L. & Bar-Nun, A. (1975). Orig. Life. Evol. Biosph. 6, 483–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barron, L.D. (1986). Chem. Phys. Lett. 123, 423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barron, L.D. (1994). Science 266, 1491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blank, J.G., Miller, G.H., Ahreus, M.J. & Winans, R.E. (2001). Orig. Life. Evol. Biosph. 31, 15–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bochkarev, N.G. (1992). Basic Physics of the Interstellar Matter. Moscow State University, Moscow.Google Scholar
Bonner, W. (1984). Orig. Life 14, 383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonner, W.A. (1991). Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 21, 59–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Briand, J., Adrian, V., Tamer, M.El., Gomes, A., Quemener, Y., Dinguirard, J.P. & Kieffer, J.C. (1985). Phys. Rev. Lett. 54, 38–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brinckerhoff, W.B., Managadze, G.G., McEntier, R.W., Chang, A.F. & Creen, W.J. (2000). Rev. Sci. Instr. 71, 536–545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brinckerhoff, W.B., Bugrov, S.G., Kelner, L., Managadze, G.G., Managadze, N.G., Saralidze, G.Z., Srama, R., Stubig, M. & Chumikov, A.E. (2004). Abiogenic synthesis of organic compounds in plasma torch generated in the processes of super-high-velocity impact (results of modeling and dust–impact experiments, perspectives). Preprint, IKI Russian Academy of Sciences. Pr-2104. Moscow, p. 36. Also in Geophys. Res. Abstr. 7, 11171, 2004.Google Scholar
Bronshten, V.A. (1987). Meteors, Meteorites, Meteoroids, p. 176, Nauka, Moscow.Google Scholar
Bychenkov, V.U., Kasyanov, U.S., Sarkisov, G.S. & Tichonchuk, V.T. (1993). J. Exp. Theor. Phys. Lett. 58, 3.Google Scholar
Bykovskiy, O.A. & Nevolin, I.N. (1985). Laser Mass Spectrometry (in Russian). Energoatomizdat, Moscow.Google Scholar
Dickerson, P.E. (1978). Chemical evolution and origin of life. In A Scientific American Book: Evolution, pp. 67–109. W.H. Freeman and Company, San-Francisco.Google Scholar
Dolgarno, A. (1979). At the Front Edge of Astrophysics, ed. Evrett, U., p. 18. Énergoizdat, Moscow.Google Scholar
Eigen, M. (1971). Naturwissenschaften 58(10), 465–523.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eigen, M. & Schuster, P. (1979). The Hypercycle: A Principle of Natural Self-organization. Springer – Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Engol, H., Macko, S.A. & Sifler, J.A. (1990). Nature 348, 47–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fox, S., Nakashima, T. (1980). Bio-Systems V. 12. p. 155–166.Google Scholar
Frank, F.C. (1953). Biochem. Bioph. Acta 11, 459.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galimov, E.M. (2001). Phenomenon of a Life: Between Balance and Nonlinearity (in Russian), p. 256. URSS, Moscow.Google Scholar
Gol'danskii, V.I. & Kuzmin, V.V. (1989). Phys. Our Days (in Russian) 157(1), 3–50.Google Scholar
Goldsmith, D. & Owen, T. (1992). The Search for Life in the Universe. Benjamin-Cummings Publishing Company. San Francisco.Google Scholar
Goresy, A. & Donnay, G.A. (1968). Science 161, 363–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grieve, R.A.F. (1980). Precambrian Res. 10, 217–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartmann, W.K., Ryder, G., Dones, L. & Grinspoon, D. (2000). The time-dependent intense bombardment of the primordial Earth/Moon system. In Origin of the Earth and Moon, eds. Canup, R.M. & Righter, K., Space Science Series, University of Arizona Press, Tuscon, p. 493–512.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heymann, D., Chibante, L.P.F., Brooks, R.R., Woldbach, W.S., Smith, J., Korochantsev, A., Nazarov, M.A. & Smalley, R.E. (1996). Proc. Geol. Soc. Am. 307, 453–464.Google Scholar
Ivanov, B.A. (2004). Astron. Bull. (in Russian) 38(N 4), 304–318.Google Scholar
Ivanov, B.A. (2005a). Distribution of impact craters and asteroids by sizes. In Catastrophic Influences of Space Bodies (in Russian), eds. Adushkina, V.V. & Nemchinov, I.V., pp. 62–77. Nauka, Moscow.Google Scholar
Ivanov, B.A. (2005b). Impact of space bodies as the geological factor. In Catastrophic Influences of Space Bodies (in Russian), eds. Adushkina, V.V. & Nemchinov, I.V., pp. 118–150. Nauka, Moscow.Google Scholar
Kieffer, J.C., Matte, J.P., Chaker, M., Beaudoin, Y., Chein, C.Y., Coe, S., Mourou, G., Dubau, J. & Inal, M.K. (1992). Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kieffer, J.C., Matte, J.P., Chaker, M., Beaudoin, Y., Chien, C.Y., Coe, S., Mourou, G., Dubau, J. & Inal, M.K. (1993). Phys. Rev. E 68, 4648.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keszthelyi, L. (1995). Q. Rev. Biophys. 28, 473.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kissel, J. & Krueger, F.R. (1987). Appl. Phys. A 42, 69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kissel, J. et al. (1986). Nature 321, 6067.Google Scholar
Kizel, V.A. (1985). Physical Principles of Dissymmetry of Living Systems. Nauka, Moscow.Google Scholar
Kobayashi, K. & Saito, T. (2000). The Role of Radiation in the Origin and Evolution of the Life, eds. Akabosh, M., Full, N. & Neverro-Gonzales, R., p. 210. Kyoto University Press, Kyoto.Google Scholar
Kondepudi, D.K. & Nelson, G.W. (1983). Phys. Rev. Lett. 50, 1023.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kondepudi, D.K. & Nelson, G.W. (1985). Nature 314, 438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kondepudi, D. & Prigozhin, I. (1999). Modern Thermodynamics. From Heat Engines to Dissipative Structures. Wiley. Chicester, New York, Weinheim, Brisbane, Toronto, Singapore.Google Scholar
Korobkin, V.V., Motilev, S.A., Serov, R.V. & Edwards, D.F. (1977). J. Exp. Theor. Phys. Lett. 25, 11.Google Scholar
Löb, W. (1906). Z. Electrochem. 11, 282–316.Google Scholar
Mackie, J.C., Colket, M.B. III & Nelson, P.F. (1990). J. Phys. Chem. 94, 4099–4106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Managadze, G.G. (1992). Universal multi-purpose transportable mass-spectrometric complex. Report of Company APTI. N 1, p 40, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. (2001a). Synthesis of organic compounds in experiments modeling high–speed meteorite impacts, Preprint IKI Pr-2037, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, p. 20.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. (2001b). Organic compounds synthesis in experiments modeling high-speed meteor impact. In Proc. of the 26th General Assembly of the European Geophysical Society. Geophys. Res. Abstr. 3, 7595.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. (2002). Molecular synthesis in recombinating impact plasma. In Proc. of 27th General Assembly of the European Geophysical Society, Nice, Abstract EGS02-A-06871. p. 334.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. (2003). J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 97(1), 49–60 (translated from Zhurnal Éksperimental'noi i Teoreticheskoi Fiziki 124(1), 55–69 (2003)).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Managadze, G.G. (2005a). A new universal mechanism of organic compounds synthesis during prebiotic evolution. Preprint Pr-2107, Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, p. 27.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. (2005b). J. Autom. Inform. Sci. N 6, 34–47.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. (2007). Planet. Space Sci. 55(1–2), 134–140, January.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Managadze, G.G. (2009). Plasma of Meteorite Impact in the Prebiotic Evolution (in Russian), p. 320. FISMATLIT, Moscow.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G., Brinckerhoff, W.B. & Chumikov, A.E. (2003a). Geophys. Res. Lett. 30(5), 1247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Managadze, G.G., Brinckerhoff, W.B. & Chumikov, A.E. (2003b), Int. J. Impact Eng. 29(1–10), 449–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Managadze, G.G., Brinckerhoff, W.B., Managadze, N.G. & Chumikov, A.E. (2006). Identification of amino acids, abiogenically synthesized in the plasma torch, modeling torch of super-high-velocity impact. Preprint Pr-2126, Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, p. 23.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. & Eismont, N.A. (2009). Fizika Plazmi (in Russian) N 6.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. & Managadze, N.G. (1999). J. Tech. Phys. 69, 10.Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. & Podgornyi, I.M. (1968). Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 180, 1333 (Sov. Phys. Rep. 13, 593 (1968)).Google Scholar
Managadze, G.G. & Shutyev, I.Y. (1993). Laser Ionization Mass Analysis, eds. Vertes, A., Gijbels, R. & Adams, F., Chem. Anal. Ser., 124, pp. 505–547. John Wiley and Sons Inc., New York.Google Scholar
Margulis, L. & Sagan, D. (1997). Microcosmos. University of California Press, Berkley and LA.Google Scholar
Mason, S.F. (1991). Chemical Evolution. Origin of the Elements, Molecules and Living Systems. Clarendon Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Mathez, E.A. (2000). Earth: Inside and Out. The New Press, New York, p. 238.Google Scholar
Miller, S.L. & Urey, H.C (1959). Science 130, 245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morozov, L.L. (1978). Dokladi AN SSSR (Reports to Academy of Sciences USSR), 241, 233.Google Scholar
Morozov, L.L. (1979). Orig. Life 9, 187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morozov, L.L. & Gol'danskii, V.I. (1984). Herald Russ. Acad. Sci. 6, 54.Google Scholar
Mukhin, L.M., Gerasimov, M.V. & Safonova, E.N. (1989). Nature 340, 46–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicolis, G. & Prigogine, I. (1977). Self-Organization in Non-Equilibrium Systems. Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Oparin, A.I. (1924). The origin of life on Earth. Academic Press, N.Y.Google Scholar
Ponnamperuma, C. (1972). The origins of life. E.P. Dutton, New York.Google Scholar
Pechernikova, G.V. & Vityazev, A.V. (2005). Impacts and evolution of early Earth. In Catastrophic Impacts of Space Bodies, eds. Adushkin, V.V. & Nemchinov, I.V., pp. 251–265. Nauka, Moscow.Google Scholar
Phipps, C.R. & Dreyfus, R.W. (1993). Laser Ionization Mass Analysis, eds. Vertes, A, Gijbels, R. & Adams, F., Chem. Anal. Ser., 124. John Wiley and Sons Inc., New York.Google Scholar
Prigogine, I. (1980). From Being to Becoming. Freeman, San Francisco.Google Scholar
Sagdeev, R.Z. (1988). Exploration of Halley's Comet, eds. Grewing, M., Praderie, F. & Reinhard, R., p. 959. Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, London, Paris, Tokyo.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sagdeev, R.Z. et al. (1987). Astron. Astrophys. 187, 179–182.Google Scholar
Schidlowski, M. (1988). A 3.800-million-year isotopic record of life from carbon in sedimentary rocks. Nature 333, 313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soai, K., Shibata, T., Morioka, H. & Choji, K. (1995). Nature 378, 767.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spirin, A.S. (2007). Paleontol. J. (in Russian) (N 5), 11–19 (English translation: Spirin, A.S. (2007). Paleontol. J. 41(N 5), 481–488.Google Scholar
Spitzer, L. (1978). Physical Processes in the Interstellar Medium. John Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Stamper, J.A. (1991). Laser Part. Beams 9(4), 841–862.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Urey, H.C. (1952). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 38, 351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilde, S.A., Valley, J.W., Peck, W.H. & Graham, C.M. (2001). Nature 409, 175–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeldovich, Ya.B. & Raiser, U.P. (1966). Physics of Shock Waves and High-temperature Hydrodynamic Phenomena. Nauka, Moscow.Google Scholar
Zeldovich, Ya.B. & Saakian, D.B. (1980). J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 78, 2233.Google Scholar
Zhang, R. et al. 1999. J. Phys. Chem. V. 103. P. 9450–9458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar