Scientific interests
My scientific interest is the chemical evolution of the celestial bodies in Solar System.
Publications
Impacts as sources of the exosphere on Mercury
Alexey A. Berezhnoy a,b,c, Boris A. Klumov c
a Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, Universitetskij
pr., 13, 119991 Moscow, Russia
b Rutgers University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, 610 Taylor
Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8087, USA
c Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, D-85740 Garching, Germany
Received 29 August 2007; revised 13 January 2008
Abstract
Chemical processes associated with meteoroid bombardment of Mercury are
considered. Meteoroid impacts lead to production of metal atoms as well as metal
oxides and hydroxides in the planetary exosphere. By using quenching theory, the
abundances of the main Na-, K-, Ca-, Fe-, Al-, Mg-, Si-, and Ti-containing
species delivered to the exosphere during meteoroid impacts were estimated.
Based on a correlation between the solar photo rates and the molecular constants
of atmospheric diatomic molecules, photolysis lifetimes of metal oxides and SiO
are estimated. Meteoroid impacts lead to the formation of hot metal atoms
(0.2–0.4 eV) produced directly during impacts and of very hot metal atoms (1–2
eV) produced by the subsequent photolysis of oxides and hydroxides in the
exosphere of Mercury. The concentrations of impact-produced atoms of the main
elements in the exosphere are estimated relative to the observed concentrations
of Ca, assumed to be produced mostly by ion sputtering. Condensation of dust
grains can significantly reduce the concentrations of impact-produced atoms in
the exosphere. Na, K, and Fe atoms are delivered to the exosphere directly by
impacts while Ca, Al, Mg, Si, and Ti atoms are produced by the photolysis of
their oxides and hydroxides. The chemistry of volatile elements such as H, S, C,
and N during meteoroid bombardment is also considered. Our conclusions about the
temperature and the concentrations of impact-produced atoms in the exosphere of
Mercury may be checked by the Messenger spacecraft in the near future and by
BepiColombo spacecraft some years later.
Petrologic mapping of the Moon using Fe, Mg, and Al abundances
A.A. Berezhnoy a,*, N. Hasebe a, M. Kobayashi a, G. Michael b, N. Yamashita a
a Advanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University,
3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, 169-8555 Tokyo, Japan
b German Aerospace Centre, Institute for Planetary Research, Rutherfordstr. 2,
12489 Berlin-Adlershof, Germany
Received 16 August 2004; received in revised form 27 January 2005; accepted 1
March 2005
Abstract
A comparison between the abundances of major elements on the Moon determined
by Lunar Prospector gamma ray spectrometer and those in returned lunar samples
is performed. Lunar Prospector shows higher Mg and Al content and lower Si
content in western maria in comparison with the lunar sample collection. Lunar
Prospector overestimated the Mg content by about 20%. There are no elemental
anomalies at the lunar poles: this is additional evidence for the presence of
polar lunar hydrogen. Using Mg, Fe, and Al abundances, petrologic maps
containing information about the abundances of ferroan anorthosites, mare
basalts, and Mgrich rocks are derived. This approach is useful for searching for
cryptomaria and Mg-rich rocks deposits on the lunar surface. A search is
implemented for rare rock types (dunites and pyroclastic deposits). Ca-rich,
Al-low small-area anomalies are detected in the far side highlands.
A three end-member model for petrologic analysis of lunar prospector gamma-ray spectrometer data
A.A. Berezhnoya,1, N. Hasebea, M. Kobayashia, G.G. Michaelb,_, O. Okudairaa,
N. Yamashitaa
aAdvanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University,
3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, 169-8555 Tokyo, Japan
bGerman Aerospace Centre, Institute for Planetary Research, Rutherfordstr. 2,
12489 Berlin-Adlershof, Germany
Received 24 March 2004; received in revised form 10 February 2005; accepted 20
February 2005
Abstract
We analyze preliminary Lunar Prospector gamma-ray spectrometer data. Al–Mg
and Fe–Mg petrologic maps of the Moon show that Mg-rich rocks are located in
Mare Frigoris, the South Pole Aitken basin, and in some cryptomaria. Analysis of
distances of Lunar Prospector pixels from three end-member plane in Mg–Al–Fe
space reveals existence of Ca-rich, Al-low small-area anomalies in the farside
highlands. An Mg–Th–Fe petrologic technique can be used for estimation of
abundances of ferroan anorthosites, mare basalts, KREEP basalts, and Mg-rich
rocks.
Interpretation of the microwave non-thermal radiation of the Moon during impact events
V. Grimalsky1, A. Berezhnoy2, 3, A. Kotsarenko4, N. Makarets5, S. Koshevaya6, and R. P´erez Enr´ıquez4
1Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE), Puebla,
Mexico
2Advanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University,
Tokyo, Japan
3Now at: Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow University, Moscow, Russia
4Centro de Geociencias, Juriquilla, UNAM, Quer´etaro, Mexico
5Kyiv National Shevchenko University, Faculty of Physics, Kyiv, Ukraine
6Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM), CIICAp, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Received: 30 June 2004 – Revised: 23 November 2004 – Accepted: 24 November 2004
– Published: 30 November 2004
Abstract
The results of recent observations of the nonthermal electromagnetic (EM)
emission at wavelengths of 2.5 cm, 13 cm, and 21 cm are summarized. After strong
impacts of meteorites or spacecrafts (Lunar Prospector) with the Moon’s surface,
the radio emissions in various frequency ranges were recorded. The most
distinctive phenomenon is the appearance of quasi-periodic oscillations with
amplitudes of 3–10K during several hours. The mechanism concerning the EM
emission from a propagating crack within a piezoactive dielectric medium is
considered. The impact may cause the global acoustic oscillations of the Moon.
These oscillations lead to the crackening of the Moon’s surface. The propagation
of a crack within a piezoactive medium is accompanied by the excitation of an
alternative current source. It is revealed that the source of the EM emission is
the effective transient magnetization that appears in the case of a moving crack
in piezoelectrics. The moving crack creates additional non-stationary local
mechanical stresses around the apex of the crack, which generate the
non-stationary electromagnetic field. For the cracks with a length of 0.1–1μm,
the maximum of the EM emission may be in the 1–10GHz range.
NathazardsEarthSystSci2004.pdf
IDENTIFICATION OF LUNAR ROCK TYPES.
A. A. Berezhnoy1,2, N. Hasebe1, M. Kobayashi1, G. Michael3 and N. Yamashita1 1Advanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan 2Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow, Russia 3German Aerospace Center, Institute for planetary research, Berlin, Germany
Brown University - Vernadsky Institute Microsymposium 40, 2004, Moscow, Russia
HIGH PURITY GE GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETER ON JAPANESE LUNAR POLAR ORBITER SELENE.
N. Hasebe1, M.-N. Kobayashi1, T. Miyachi1, O. Okudaira1, Y. Yamashita1, E. Shibamura2, T. Takashima3, A.A.Brezhnoy1, 1Advanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University (Tokyo 169-8555, Japan), 2Saitama Prefectural University (Koshigaya, Saitama 343-8540, Japan), 3Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA (Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-8510, Japan), 4Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State Univ.
Brown University - Vernadsky Institute Microsymposium 40, 2004, Moscow, Russia
GAMMA RAYS FROM MAJOR ELEMENTS BY THERMAL NEUTRON CAPTURE
REACTIONS:
EXPERIMENT AND SIMULATION FOR PLANETARY GAMMA-RAY SPECTROSCOPY.
N. Yamashita1, N. Hasebe1, M. -N. Kobayashi1, T. Miyachi1, O. Okudaira1, E. Shibamura2, A. A. Berezhnoy1,3, 1Advanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda Univ., 3-4-1, Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555 Japan (nao.yamashita@toki.waseda.jp), 2Saitama Prefectural University, 3Sternberg Astronomical Institute.
Brown University - Vernadsky Institute Microsymposium 40, 2004, Moscow, Russia
Possibility of the presence of S, SO2, and CO2 at the poles of the Moon
Alexey A. Berezhnoy*, Nobuyuki Hasebe, Takuji Hiramoto
Advanced Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo,
Shinjuku-ku，Tokyo 169-0071
* Also at Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, Moscow,
Russia
Email (AB)
iac02074@kurenai.waseda.jp and Boris A. Klumov Institute
of Dynamics of Geospheres, Moscow, Russia
(Received 2003 March 4)
Abstract
The presence of volatiles near lunar poles is studied. The chemical
composition of a lunar atmosphere temporarily produced by comet impact is
studied during day and night. C-rich and long-period comets are insufficient
sources of water ice on the Moon. O-rich short-period comets deliver significant
amounts of H2O, CO2, SO2, and S to the Moon. An observable amount of polar
hydrogen can be delivered to the Moon by single impact of O-rich short-period
comet with diameter of 5 km in the form of water ice. The areas where CO2 and
SO2 ices are stable against the thermal sublimation are estimated as 300 and
1500 km2, respectively. If water ice exists in the 2 cm top regolith layer CO2
and SO2 ices can be stable in the coldest parts of permanently shaded craters.
The delivery rate of elemental sulfur near the poles is estimated as 106 g/year.
The sulfur content is estimated to be as high as 1 wt % in polar regions. The
SELENE gamma-ray spectrometer can detect sulfur polar caps on the Moon if the
sulfur content is higher than 1 wt %. This instrument can check the presence of
hydrogen and minerals with unusual chemical composition at the lunar poles.
Optical spectroscopy of comet C/2000 WM1 (LINEAR) at the Guillermo Harro Astrophysical Observatory in Mexico
Klim I.Churyumov1, Igor V.Luk’yanyk1, Alexei A.Berezhnoi2,3, Vahram H.Chavushyan2, Leo Sandoval4 and Alejandro A.Palma2,4
1Astronomical Observatory, Kyiv National Shevchenko University, Kyiv,
Ukraine;
2Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica, Tonantzintla, Puebla,
Mexico;
3Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow, Russia;
4Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
March 24, 2002
Abstract
Preliminary analysis of middle resolution optical spectra of comet C/2000 WM1
(LINEAR) obtained on November 22, 2001 is given. The emission lines of the
molecules C2, C3, CN, NH2, H2O+ and presumably CO (Asundi and triplet bands),
C-2 were identified in these spectra. By analyzing the brightness distributions
of the C2, C3, CN emission lines along the spectrograph slit we determined some
physical parameters of these neutral molecules – the velocity of expansion of
molecules within the coma and their lifetimes. The Franck–Condon factors for the
CO Asundi bands and C-2 bands were calculated by using a Morse potential model.
Radio Emission of the Moon before and after the Lunar Prospector impact, Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon.
Berezhnoi A.A., Gusev S.G., Khavroshkin O.B., Poperechenko B.A., Shevchenko V.V., Tzyplakov V.A.
p. 179-181, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 10-14 July 2000
Photochemical Model of Impact-Produced Lunar Atmosphere, Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon.
Berezhnoi A.A., Klumov B.A.
p. 175-178, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 10-14 July 2000
Biography
I was born in the pleasant Russian town of Voronezh (April 15, 1972). At 18, I graduated from a special Moscow physico-mathematical school for advanced students in 1989. Then I began studying at Moscow State University. In 1995 I graduated from the Physical Chemistry Department. The subject of my diploma work were the physico-chemical processes of the collision between comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and Jupiter. My PhD thesis, which I defended on February 4, 1999, was on the physico-chemical aspects of collisions between comets and planetary bodies of the Solar System.
Hobbies
I like travelling, taking photographs, regional history and gardening.
Useful links
NASA ADS Abstract Service http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html
International Meteor Organisation http://www.imo.net
Astronomical Meetings http://cadcwww.dao.nrc.ca/meetings/meetings.html
European Space Agency, Solar system division http://sci.esa.int/solar-system/