Laser processing is an effective method for cutting extraterrestrial rocks, making it potentially useful for space mining. By comparing laser processing of terrestrial basalt and the Hammadah al Hamra 346 (HaH 346) chondrite meteorite, we investigated the influence of iron-nickel (Fe-Ni) metals on laser-induced melting, cavity formation, and recrystallization. Experimental results revealed that the presence of Fe-Ni metals significantly reduces the depth of laser-induced cavities in HaH 346 meteorite while increasing their width, as the melting metal strongly absorbs laser energy. X-ray computed tomography results demonstrated that the laser-induced cavities in the HaH 346 meteorite are much shallower than those in basalt. Microstructural analysis indicated that Fe-Ni metals in HaH 346 recrystallize into ellipsoidal crystal formations, while silicates form complex and nest-like structures. Furthermore, the temperature of Fe-Ni metal during laser irradiation is significantly lower than that of silicate and mixed zones. Due to the vacuum environment of space, Fe-Ni metals are widely present in planetary rocks. Our study highlights the potential of laser cutting for future space mining and the key differences between laser cutting on Earth and in space.

中文翻译：

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Fe-Ni 金属对球粒陨石激光加工中烧蚀、空腔形成和再结晶的影响

激光加工是切割外星岩石的有效方法，使其可能用于太空采矿。通过比较陆地玄武岩和 Hammadah al Hamra 346 （HaH 346） 球粒陨石的激光加工，我们研究了铁镍 （Fe-Ni） 金属对激光诱导熔化、空腔形成和再结晶的影响。实验结果表明，Fe-Ni 金属的存在显着降低了 HaH 346 陨石中激光诱导腔的深度，同时增加了它们的宽度，因为熔融金属强烈吸收了激光能量。X 射线计算机断层扫描结果表明，HaH 346 陨石中的激光诱导空腔比玄武岩中的空腔浅得多。微观结构分析表明，HaH 346 中的 Fe-Ni 金属再结晶成椭球体晶体，而硅酸盐形成复杂和巢状结构。此外，Fe-Ni 金属在激光照射过程中的温度明显低于硅酸盐和混合区的温度。由于太空的真空环境，Fe-Ni 金属广泛存在于行星岩石中。我们的研究强调了激光切割在未来太空采矿中的潜力，以及激光切割在地球和太空中的主要区别。