Georgia Tech researchers have recreated the effects of solar wind on lunar minerals in a laboratory experiment, providing new evidence that the constant stream of charged particles from the sun plays a major role in shaping the moon’s surface.

The team exposed ilmenite, a mineral commonly found on both Earth and the moon, to a synthetic version of solar wind. The experiment produced nanophase iron, tiny metallic particles that are widely observed in lunar soil and are considered a key signature of space weathering.

Scientists have long known that the moon’s surface is altered by both micrometeorite impacts and solar wind. However, the relative contribution of each process has remained unclear. The new results suggest solar wind alone can create some of the same microscopic features seen in actual lunar samples.

The findings could help researchers better interpret remote sensing data used to estimate the age and composition of the moon’s surface. They may also improve understanding of how lunar soil evolves over time without requiring direct sample collection from every location.

Simulating lunar aging

The research was carried out by physics Ph.D. candidate Roshan Trivedi and recent Ph.D. graduate Advik Vira through the Georgia Tech Center for Lunar Environment and Volatile Exploration Research (CLEVER), a NASA-backed research initiative focused on lunar science and Artemis mission objectives.

Using a vacuum chamber designed to simulate solar wind conditions, the researchers exposed ilmenite samples to charged particles and then examined the material using high-resolution electron microscopy.

The experiment recreated the effects of thousands of years of solar wind exposure in a controlled environment.

The team observed the formation of nanophase iron and lunar-like rims on the mineral surface, features commonly associated with space weathering on the moon.

“Scientists have been doing laboratory radiation experiments for years, but they haven’t been able to characterize the results at this level of detail,” said lead author Trivedi.

The ability to reproduce these features in the laboratory could help scientists better understand how different regions of the moon have changed over time and improve interpretations of orbital observations.

Clues about lunar water

The study may also offer insights into one of lunar science’s most important questions: how water forms on the moon.

Researchers found that the solar wind experiments created tiny voids within the mineral structure. These microscopic spaces could potentially provide locations where hydrogen delivered by solar wind interacts with oxygen present in lunar minerals.

“Water would be a fantastic resource for humans operating on the moon, but scientifically, we are driven simply by the question of how water gets there in the first place,” said Phillip First, a professor in the School of Physics.

“Solar wind is potentially one way, because protons in solar wind provide the hydrogen of H2O molecules while oxygen is present in lunar minerals.”

The researchers say the ability to simulate a wide range of exposure ages could help future studies investigate the connection between solar wind, lunar minerals, and water formation.

“Having the ability to recreate the solar wind and having results look so similar to actual lunar samples is excellent,” said co-lead author Vira.

The findings were published in The Planetary Science Journal.

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