Hybrid Processing Combining Electrostatic Levitation and Laser Heating: Application to Terrestrial Analogues of Asteroid Materials

Figure 2

Temperature history profile for electrostatically levitated Fe-Ni alloy samples (a) Fe₂₅Ni₇₅, (b) Fe₅₀Ni₅₀, and (c) Fe₇₅Ni₂₅. For example in (b), a 2.7 mm diameter sample (18.42 mg) was heated up to 1550°C. At time ~10 s, the laser power was deliberately turned off, the sample cooled down to the undercooled phase, and then solidified as evidenced by recalescence (release of the latent heat of fusion).

(a)

(b)

(c)