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Abstract Solar photospheric abundances and CI-chondrite compositions are reviewed and updated to obtain representative solar system abundances of the elements and their isotopes. The new photospheric abundances obtained here lead to higher solar metallicity. Full 3D NLTE photospheric analyses are only available for 11 elements. A quality index for analyses is introduced. For several elements, uncertainties remain large. Protosolar mass fractions are H (X = 0.7060), He (Y = 0.2753), and for metals Li to U (Z = 0.0187). The protosolar (C+N)/H agrees within 13% with the ratio for the solar core from the Borexino experiment. Elemental abundances in CI-chondrites were screened by analytical methods, sample sizes, and evaluated using concentration frequency distributions. Aqueously mobile elements (e.g., alkalis, alkaline earths, etc.) often deviate from normal distributions indicating mobilization and/or sequestration into carbonates, phosphates, and sulfates. Revised CI-chondrite abundances of non-volatile elements are similar to earlier estimates. The moderately volatile elements F and Sb are higher than before, as are C, Br and I, whereas the CI-abundances of Hg and N are now significantly lower. The solar system nuclide distribution curves of s-process elements agree within 4% with s-process predictions of Galactic chemical evolution models. P-process nuclide distributions are assessed. No obvious correlation of CI-chondritic to solar elemental abundance ratios with condensation temperatures is observed, nor is there one for ratios of CI-chondrites/solar wind abundances.more » « less
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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-145more » « less
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Updated solar photospheric abundances are compared with meteoritic abundances. The uncertainties of solar abundances of many trace elements are considerably reduced compared to the 2003 compilation. Some of the solar rare earth elements have now assigned errors of ± 5%, approaching the accuracy of meteorite analyses. The agreement between solar abundances and CI chondrites is further improved. Problematic elements with comparatively large differences between solar and meteoritic abundances are manganese, hafnium, rubidium, gallium, and tungsten. The CI chondrites match solar abundances in refractory lithophile, siderophile, and volatile elements. All other chondrite groups differ from CI chondrites. With analytical uncertainties, there are no obvious fractionations between CI meteorites and solar abundances. Further progress will primarily come from improved solar abundance determinations. The limiting factor in the accuracy of meteorite abundances is the inherent heterogeneity of CI chondrites, primarily the Orgueil meteorite. The interstellar medium (ISM) from which the solar system formed has the same composition as the Sun for volatile and moderately volatile elements within a factor of 2. The more refractory elements of the ISM are depleted from the gas and are concentrated in grains.more » « less
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