More Like this

1. High-temperature 205Tl decay clarifies 205Pb dating in early Solar System

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08130-4  

   Leckenby, Guy; Sidhu, Ragandeep Singh; Chen, Rui Jiu; Mancino, Riccardo; Szányi, Balázs; Bai, Mei; Battino, Umberto; Blaum, Klaus; Brandau, Carsten; Cristallo, Sergio; et al (November 2024, Nature)

   Abstract Radioactive nuclei with lifetimes on the order of millions of years can reveal the formation history of the Sun and active nucleosynthesis occurring at the time and place of its birth^1,2. Among such nuclei whose decay signatures are found in the oldest meteorites,²⁰⁵Pb is a powerful example, as it is produced exclusively by slow neutron captures (thesprocess), with most being synthesized in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars^3–5. However, making accurate abundance predictions for²⁰⁵Pb has so far been impossible because the weak decay rates of²⁰⁵Pb and²⁰⁵Tl are very uncertain at stellar temperatures^6,7. To constrain these decay rates, we measured for the first time the bound-state β⁻decay of fully ionized²⁰⁵Tl⁸¹⁺, an exotic decay mode that only occurs in highly charged ions. The measured half-life is 4.7 times longer than the previous theoretical estimate⁸and our 10% experimental uncertainty has eliminated the main nuclear-physics limitation. With new, experimentally backed decay rates, we used AGB stellar models to calculate²⁰⁵Pb yields. Propagating those yields with basic galactic chemical evolution (GCE) and comparing with the²⁰⁵Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratio from meteorites^9–11, we determined the isolation time of solar material inside its parent molecular cloud. We find positive isolation times that are consistent with the others-process short-lived radioactive nuclei found in the early Solar System. Our results reaffirm the site of the Sun’s birth as a long-lived, giant molecular cloud and support the use of the²⁰⁵Pb–²⁰⁵Tl decay system as a chronometer in the early Solar System. 

   more » « less
2. Aluminium-26 from Massive Binary Stars. III. Binary Stars up to Core Collapse and Their Impact on the Early Solar System

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acd7ea  

   Brinkman, Hannah_E; Doherty, Carolyn; Pignatari, Marco; Pols, Onno; Lugaro, Maria (July 2023, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract Many of the short-lived radioactive nuclei that were present in the early solar system can be produced in massive stars. In the first paper in this series, we focused on the production of²⁶Al in massive binaries. In our second paper, we considered rotating single stars; two more short-lived radioactive nuclei,³⁶Cl and⁴¹Ca; and the comparison to the early solar system data. In this work, we update our previous conclusions by further considering the impact of binary interactions. We used the MESA stellar evolution code with an extended nuclear network to compute massive (10–80M_⊙), binary stars at various initial periods and solar metallicity (Z= 0.014), up to the onset of core collapse. The early solar system abundances of²⁶Al and⁴¹Ca can be matched self-consistently by models with initial masses ≥25M_⊙, while models with initial primary masses ≥35M_⊙can also match³⁶Cl. Almost none of the models provide positive net yields for¹⁹F, while for²²Ne the net yields are positive from 30M_⊙and higher. This leads to an increase by a factor of approximately 4 in the amount of²²Ne produced by a stellar population of binary stars, relative to single stars. In addition, besides the impact on the stellar yields, our 10M_⊙primary star undergoing Case A mass transfer ends its life as a white dwarf instead of as a core-collapse supernova. This demonstrates that binary interactions can also strongly impact the evolution of stars close to the supernova boundary. 

   more » « less
3. ²⁶ Aluminum from Massive Binary Stars. II. Rotating Single Stars Up to Core Collapse and Their Impact on the Early Solar System

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac25ea  

   Brinkman, Hannah E.; den Hartogh, J. W.; Doherty, C. L.; Pignatari, M.; Lugaro, M. (December 2021, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract Radioactive nuclei were present in the early solar system (ESS), as inferred from analysis of meteorites. Many are produced in massive stars, either during their lives or their final explosions. In the first paper of this series (Brinkman et al. 2019), we focused on the production of 26 Al in massive binaries. Here, we focus on the production of another two short-lived radioactive nuclei, 36 Cl and 41 Ca, and the comparison to the ESS data. We used the MESA stellar evolution code with an extended nuclear network and computed massive (10–80 M ⊙ ), rotating (with initial velocities of 150 and 300 km s −1 ) and nonrotating single stars at solar metallicity ( Z = 0.014) up to the onset of core collapse. We present the wind yields for the radioactive isotopes 26 Al, 36 Cl, and 41 Ca, and the stable isotopes 19 F and 22 Ne. In relation to the stable isotopes, we find that only the most massive models, ≥60 and ≥40 M ⊙ give positive 19 F and 22 Ne yields, respectively, depending on the initial rotation rate. In relation to the radioactive isotopes, we find that the ESS abundances of 26 Al and 41 Ca can be matched with by models with initial masses ≥40 M ⊙ , while 36 Cl is matched only by our most massive models, ≥60 M ⊙ . 60 Fe is not significantly produced by any wind model, as required by the observations. Therefore, massive star winds are a favored candidate for the origin of the very short-lived 26 Al, 36 Cl, and 41 Ca in the ESS. 

   more » « less
4. Solar Elemental Abundances

   Lodders, K (December 2020, Online Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Oxford University Press 2020)

   olar elemental abundances, or solar system elemental abundances refer to the complement of chemical elements in the entire solar system. The sun contains more than 99-percent of the mass in the solar system and therefore the composition of the sun is a good proxy for the composition of the overall solar system. The solar system composition can be taken as the overall composition of the molecular cloud within the interstellar medium from which the solar system formed 4.567 billion years ago. Active research areas in astronomy and cosmochemistry model collapse of a molecular cloud of solar composition into a star with a planetary system, and the physical and chemical fractionation of the elements during planetary formation and differentiation. The solar system composition is the initial composition from which all solar system objects (the sun, terrestrial planets, gas giant planets, planetary satellites and moons, asteroids, Kuiper-belt objects, and comets) were derived. Other dwarf stars (with hydrostatic Hydrogen-burning in their cores) like our Sun (type G2V dwarf star) within the solar neighborhood have compositions similar to our Sun and the solar system composition. In general, differential comparisons of stellar compositions provide insights about stellar evolution as functions of stellar mass and age, and ongoing nucleosynthesis; but also about galactic chemical evolution when elemental compositions of stellar populations across our Milky Way Galaxy is considered. Comparisons to solar composition can reveal element destruction (e.g., Li) in the sun and in other dwarf stars. The comparisons also show element production of e.g., C, N, O, and the heavy elements made by the s-process in low- to intermediate mass stars (3-7 solar masses) after these evolved from their dwarf-star stage into red giant stars (where hydrogen and helium burning can occur in shells around their cores). The solar system abundances are and have been a critical test composition for nucleosynthesis models and models of Galactic chemical evolution, which aim ultimately to track the production of the elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in the generation of stars that came forth after the Big Bang 13.4 billion years ago. Article at: https://oxfordre.com/planetaryscience/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190647926.001.0001/acrefore-9780190647926-e-145 

   more » « less
5. Very massive star winds as sources of the short-lived radioactive isotope ²⁶ Al

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202243474  

   Martinet, Sébastien; Meynet, Georges; Nandal, Devesh; Ekström, Sylvia; Georgy, Cyril; Haemmerlé, Lionel; Hirschi, Raphael; Yusof, Norhasliza; Gounelle, Matthieu; Dwarkadas, Vikram (August 2022, Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Context. The 26 Al short-lived radioactive nuclide is the source of the observed galactic diffuse γ -ray emission at 1.8 MeV. While different sources of 26 Al have been explored, such as asymptotic giant branch stars, massive stellar winds, and supernovae, the contribution of very massive stars has not been studied so far. Aims. We study the contribution of the stellar wind of very massive stars, here, stars with initial masses between 150 and 300 M ⊙ , to the enrichment in 26 Al of the galactic interstellar medium. Methods. We studied the production of 26 Al by studying rotating and non-rotating very massive stellar models with initial masses between 150 and 300 M ⊙ for metallicities Z  = 0.006, 0.014, and 0.020. We compared this result to a simple Milky Way model and took the metallicity and the star formation rate gradients into account. Results. We obtain that very massive stars in the Z  = 0.006 − 0.020 metallicity range might be very significant contributors to the 26 Al enrichment of the interstellar medium. Typically, the contribution of the winds of massive stars to the total quantity of 26 Al in the Galaxy increases by 150% when very massive stars are considered. Conclusions. Despite their rarity, very massive stars might be important contributors to 26 Al and might overall be very important actors for nucleosynthesis in the Galaxy. 

   more » « less