Dynamical development of strength and stability of asteroid material under 440 GeV proton beam irradiation
Asteroid materials experience rapid thermoelastic and plastic stress evolution when subjected to high-energy irradiation - an effect that has not previously been captured through non-destructive, time-resolved experiments. Yet, accurate modeling of asteroid deflection scenarios, such as those proposed for planetary defense, critically depends on precise knowledge of the material's mechanical behavior under extreme conditions to predict kinetic energy transfer and orbital deviation. In an experimental campaign at CERN's High Radiation to Materials facility (HiRadMat), we irradiated a Campo del Cielo iron meteorite sample with 440 GeV protons from the Super Proton Synchrotron. Using Laser Doppler Vibrometry, we captured the resulting thermally induced stress waves in real time. Our results demonstrate that asteroid materials can absorb significantly more energy without structural failure than normal material parameters would suggest. Crucially, we were able to reproduce-under controlled laboratory conditions-the discrepancy factor observed between laboratory-derived yield strength values and those inferred from atmospheric meteor breakup events.
Authors
- M. Poza
- M. Lazzaroni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4094-1273)
- Brian Reville (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3778-1432)
- Bryn Lloyd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0935-9530)
- Jack Halliday (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1842-9393)
- S. Sarkar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3542-858X)
- V. Stergiou
- Pablo J. Bilbao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1841-4397)
- Eva Los (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5545-0346)
- Erik M. Andersen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2150-078X)
- G. Gregori (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4153-0628)
- Karl-Georg Schlesinger
- Filipe D. Cruz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5384-4288)
- L. O. Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2906-924X)
- Charles Arrowsmith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6186-2227)
- T. B. Huffman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5332-2738)
- R. Bingham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9843-7635)
- J.M. Quetsch
- Aboubakr Ebn Rahmoun
- P. Simon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2575-3730)
- N. Charitonidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9506-1022)
- Alice Goillot
- Shulei Zhang
- E. Soria
- Melanie Bochmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1128-3014)
- Eva Kamenicka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1275-1739)
- Panagiota Rousiadou
- Paraskevi Alexaki
- Mohamed Ambarki
Institutions
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (GB)
- University of Lisbon (PT)
- GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research (DE)
- University of Strathclyde (GB)
- University of Ioannina (GR)
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Energetics (United States) (US)
- BOS (Germany) (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (DE)
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- University of Rochester (US)
- European Organization for Nuclear Research (CH)
- Robert Bosch (Germany) (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-11-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66912-4
- Primary Topic
- Astro and Planetary Science
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- UK Research and Innovation
- European Commission
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme