VIS spectroscopy of NaCl-water ice mixtures irradiated with 1 and 5 keV electrons under Europa_s conditions: Formation of colour centres and Na colloids

TL;DR

This study investigates how electron irradiation causes color centers and sodium colloids formation in NaCl-water ice mixtures, simulating Europa's surface conditions, revealing new insights into spectral features and analogues.

Contribution

It introduces new laboratory analogues of Europa's surface, demonstrating formation of specific color centers and colloids under electron irradiation at cryogenic temperatures.

Findings

F-centres formed in all samples, especially in compact slabs.

Na colloids detected only in granular samples at 580 nm.

Compact slabs produce stronger F-centre absorption similar to pure NaCl.

Abstract

Recent laboratory efforts and telescopic observations of Europa have shown the relevance of a yellow colouration of sodium chloride (NaCl) caused by crystal defects generated by irradiation. We further investigate this process by irradiating (with energetic electrons) different types of analogues where NaCl is associated in different ways to water ice. We produce two types of icy analogues: compact slabs and granular particles where we investigate two particle sizes (5 and 70 $\mu$m). We perform electron irradiation at cryogenic temperatures (100 K) and under high vacuum (10-7 mbar) conditions, with energies of 1 and 5 keV. We observe the formation of two different types of colour centres. The so-called F-centres (460 nm) were formed in every sample, but the intensity of the absorption band within the compact slabs surpassed any other icy analogues and was comparable to the intensity of the absorption band within pure NaCl grains. M-centres (720 nm) have not been detected at the surface of Europa so far, and were close to the detection limit during our irradiation of compact slabs. The slabs could be good analogues for Europa_s surface as they produce mainly F-centres. Other notable differences have been observed between compact slabs and granular samples, such as the presence of an absorption band at 580 nm attributed to colloids of Na, exclusively within granular samples. Such absorptions have not been reported in previous studies.