Crystalline MgSiO and amorphous Mg-bearing silicate grain formation by coalescence and growth

¹ Department of Nanophysics in Frontier Projects, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga 525-8577, Japan e-mail: rp007988@se.ritsumei.ac.jp
² Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
³ Department of Electronics and Information Science, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan

Received: 28 May 2004
Accepted: 23 August 2004

Abstract

A novel method for producing MgO and SiO₂ smokes was developed. Mg-bearing silicate grain formation using the coalescence and growth of MgO and SiO₂ grains was carried out in our laboratory. It becomes evident that single and poly crystalline Mg₂SiO₄ (forsterite) and amorphous Mg-bearing silicate grains can be produced by the coalescence and growth of MgO and SiO₂ grains. This result suggests that the observed crystalline Mg₂SiO₄ grains and amorphous Mg-bearing silicate particles in Red Super Giant (RSG), Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB), post-AGB and planetary nebula (PNe) could be produced by the coalescence and growth of MgO and SiO₂ grains.