PTYS/LPL Faculty
Kuiper 533
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Pierre Haenecour
Assistant Professor
Astrobiology, Cosmochemistry, Planetary Astronomy, Small Bodies
Pierre's research interests focus on the building blocks and early history of the Solar System history, and the origin of life through the coordinated study of circumstellar and interstellar dust grains and organic molecules in unequiliberated planetary materials (e.g., meteorites, micrometeorites and interplanetary dust particles).
His background is in Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, from terrestrial samples (e.g., Pb and Zn isotopes in Archean komatiitic lava flows) to primitive extraterrestrial samples (e.g., meteorites and micrometeorites), using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and a variety of in situ ion- and electron-microscopy techniques (e.g., secondary ion mass spectrometry, Auger and Raman spectroscopy, focused-ion-beam scanning-electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy).
Ph.D., 2016 Washington University in St. Louis
Years with LPL: 2017 to present
Pierre grew up in Brussels (Belgium) and graduated with B.A. and M.S. degrees in Geology and Geochemistry from the Free University of Brussels. He then moved to St. Louis (Missouri) and obtained a M.A. degree and a Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis. His doctoral research work focused on the identification and coordinated micro-analytical study of and circumstellar grains (also called presolar or stardust grains) in primitive meteorites and fine-grained micrometeorites.
Current Graduate Students
Complete publications list available from: NASA ADS Author search: P. Haenecour
Refereed publications (NASA ADS): Calendar Years 2017 through June 2020
Bernal, J. J., Haenecour, P., Howe, J., Zega, T. J., Amari, S., Ziurys, L. M. Formation of Interstellar C60 from Silicon Carbide Circumstellar Grains 2019ApJ...883L..43B
Seifert, L., Haenecour, P., Zega, T., Ramprasad, T. Coordinated Analyses of a Supernova Polycrystalline Olivine Aggregate in the CO Chondrite Dominion Range 08006 2019MiMic..25S2490S
Zega, T., Bernal, J., Howe, J., Haenecour, P., Amari, S., Ziurys, L. Putting Stars in the Gap: in situ Irradiation and Heating of Synthetic SiC and Implications for the Origins of C-rich Circumstellar Materials 2019MiMic..25S2488Z
Ramprasad, T., Haenecour, P., Seifert, L., Zega, T. J. Understanding the Origin and Evolution of Meteoritic Refractory Minerals Through Transmission Electron Microscopy 2019MiMic..25S2458R
Haenecour, P., Thompson, M. S., Zega, T. J., Howe, J. Y., Chen, W.-Y. In situ Ion Irradiation and Heating Experiments in the Transmission Electron Microscope: Simulations of Dust Processing in Circumstellar Environments 2019MiMic..25S2454H
Haenecour, P., Howe, J. Y., Zega, T. J., Amari, S., Lodders, K., José, J., Kaji, K., Sunaoshi, T., Muto, A. Laboratory evidence for co-condensed oxygen- and carbon-rich meteoritic stardust from nova outbursts 2019NatAs...3..626H
Haenecour, P., Howe, J. Y., Zega, T. J., Amari, S., Floss, C., Wallace, P., Lodders, K., Kaji, K., Sunaoshi, T., Muto, A. Low-Voltage Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy Analysis of Presolar Graphite Spherules 2018MiMic..24S2110H
Howe, J. Y., Haenecour, P., Thompson, M. S., Dogel, S., Sunaoshi, T., Sagar, J., Hosseinkhannazer, H., Zega, T. J. Nanoscale Investigation of Thermal Alteration of Chondritic Meteorites via Simultaneous Secondary and Transmitted Electron Imaging during In Situ Heating up to 1000 oC 2018MiMic..24S2102H
Seifert, L., Haenecour, P., Zega, T., Floss, C., Howe, J. Multi-keV Analyses of a Presolar Mg-Silicate Grain via SEM/STEM 2018MiMic..24S2098S
Haenecour, P. Low-Voltage Transmission Electron Microscopy Analysis of 15N-Rich Organic Matter: Insight into the Origins of Fine-Grained Antarctic Micrometeorites 2018MiMic..24S2076H
Haenecour, P., Floss, C., Zega, T. J., Croat, T. K., Wang, A., Jolliff, B. L., Carpenter, P. Presolar silicates in the matrix and fine-grained rims around chondrules in primitive CO3.0 chondrites: Evidence for pre-accretionary aqueous alteration of the rims in the solar nebula 2018GeCoA.221..379H
Haenecour, P., Zega, T. J., Howe, J. Y., Wallace, P., Floss, C., Yada, T. Investigation of the Nature of Capping Layer Materials for FIB-SEM Preparation: Implications for the Study of Carbonaceous Material in Extraterrestrial Samples 2017MiMic..23S1820H
July 05, 2019 - Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association - "From Stars to the Laboratory: Stardust in the Solar System"
Haenecour et al. (2019). Laboratory evidence for co-condensed oxygen- and carbon-rich meteoritic stardust from nova outbursts. Nature Astronomy 3, pp. 626-630 (04/29/2019)
- UA News - 'Ashes of a Dying Star Hold Clues about Solar System's Birth'
- AZ Daily Star - 'UA scientists: Speck of stardust could hold clues about our solar system'
- Forbes - 'Tiny Speck Of Actual Stardust' Found In Antarctic Meteorite
- The New York Post - ‘Alien’ grain of dust from ancient star found in Antarctica
- The Sun - ‘Alien’ grain of dust fired at Earth by ancient exploding star found buried in Antarctica – and could reveal how our Solar System was born
- LiveScience - 'This Antarctic Meteorite Holds a Tiny Speck of Stardust That's Older Than the Solar System'
- SciencePost.fr - 'Une poussière venue “d’ailleurs” s’est incrustée dans notre système solaire'
Haenecour et al. (2013). First Laboratory observation of silica grains from core collapse supernovae. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 768: L17 (5pp) (05/01/2013)
- The New Yorker - 'An Exploding Star, a Grain of Sand, and an Origin Story'
- Scientific American - 'A Star's Last Breath' (video from Scientific American Space Lab Countdown)
- The Huffington Post - 'Meteorites, Supernova Linked After Rare Silica Grains Identified In Antarctic Space Rocks'
- Science (Vol. 340, Issue 6132, pp. 526) - 'Supernova Grains Identified in the Lab'
| Available files | Size | Created |
|---|---|---|
 CV-Pierre Haenecour-Nov2019.pdf | 171.21 KB | November 11, 2019 |
| Semester | Course | Day/Time | Location | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2021 | PTYS/ASTR 170B2-001 | TTH 11:00a.m.-12:15p.m. | Kuiper 308 | |
| Fall 2020 | PTYS 416-001 | TTH 11:00a.m.-12:15p.m. | Kuiper 312 | |
| Fall 2020 | PTYS 516-001 | TTH 11:00a.m.-12:15p.m. | Kuiper 312 |