Testing a new non-destructive protocol to characterize meteorite samples

Meteorites can be grouped into three main categories: stony, iron and stony-iron meteorites. Stony meteorites consist of mostly silicate minerals and may contain small spheroidal grains, while iron meteorites consist primarily of an iron-nickel alloy, that was a source of metallic iron in ancient times. These materials play a fundamental role in planetary and cosmological research. To derive the original provenance or dating of a meteorite the main quest is the determination of its composition and traditionally this goal is achieved by means of destructive measurements. Yet, some cross-sections are available, but meteorites are considered rare and further sampling should be avoided. To obtain an in depth information about the bulk meteorite compositions, neutron diffraction, resonant absorption spectroscopy and neutron activation could be a very powerful complementary technique.

陨石可分为三大主要类别：石质陨石、铁陨石与石铁陨石。石质陨石主要由硅酸盐矿物构成，可能含有细小的球状颗粒；而铁陨石则主要由铁镍合金组成，在古代曾是金属铁的重要来源。这类样本在行星科学与宇宙学研究中具有核心地位。若要追溯陨石的原始成因或测定其年代，核心任务是确定其成分组成，传统上这类检测需通过破坏性测量手段实现。尽管存在部分可供研究的陨石截面样本，但陨石属于珍稀资源，应避免额外取样。若要全面获取陨石的整体成分信息，中子衍射、共振吸收光谱法与中子活化分析可成为极具价值的互补检测技术。