Progetti di ricerca

Sulphur, though often considered a minor constituent of the Earth’s interior, is a key driver of geological, geochemical, and biological processes. While large amounts of this element segregated into the core during planetary differentiation, a significant fraction resides in the crust and… Leggi tutto mantle, influencing redox processes, cycling of volatiles, and geodynamic evolution across vast timescales, from core formation to the onset of life. Yet, significant knowledge gaps remain, particularly concerning sulphur’s role below the shallow mantle. The S-CAPE project aims to address these gaps by investigating experimentally and theoretically the transformation of sulphur-bearing compoundsstarting from the conditions occurring during Earth’s accretion, characterized by planetesimal and meteoritic impacts, to those of current geodynamic settings, including subduction and modern mantle environments. We will capture for the first time both equilibrium and transient processes at extreme pressures and temperatures by combining static compression in laser-heated diamond anvil cells, and dynamic compression generated by laser-driven shocks. This synergy is made possible thanks to the full exploitation of state-of-theart synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser facilities, which enable unprecedented real-time in situ structural and chemical analyses at extreme conditions. By systematically mapping sulphur’sstructural, electronic, and chemical transformationsin both simplified synthetic and complex natural systems, S-CAPE will reveal how the deep sulphur cycle governs Earth’s redox dynamics, drives pathways of volatile elements, and possibly promoted the formation of prebiotic building-blocks of life. Besides refining our understanding of Earth’s interior, the results of S-CAPE are expected to revolutionize our perspective of how sulphur shaped planetary evolution and how it may foster or restrict potential habitability throughout the Solar System.