CHEMICAL AND ISOTOPIC CONSEQUENCES OF LUNAR FORMATION VIA GIANT IMPACT

“We must trust the perfection of the creation so far, as to believe that whatever curiosity the order of things has awakened in our minds, the order of things can satisfy.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, NatureACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv This thesis would not have been possible without the help and support of many people. First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents for coming to the United States after living through a revolution and a war, and for starting a new life in a foreign country so that their children might have a better future. Maman and Baba: az tah-e delam, merci. I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dave Stevenson, for providing uncompromising guidance and support and for giving me the freedom to pursue ideas that at first glance appear crazy. The central idea explored in this thesis is his. Dave’s willingness to challenge seemingly established ideas, his scientific breadth and depth, and his wisdom and humor have been an enormous inspiration. I am thankful to Paul Asimow for lending his uncommon expertise in thermodynamics and to John Eiler whose casual questions during planetary science seminar resulted in Chapter 4 of this thesis. I owe a debt of gratitude to Alessandro Morbidelli wh