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Thorium in G-dwarf stars as a chronometer for the Galaxy

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Abstract

Observation of the radioactive nuclide 232Th (half life 14 Gyr) in stars of various ages offers the possibility of directly relating the timescale for nucleosynthesis to that for stellar and galactic evolution. An initial set of such observations reveals no detectable evolution of the thorium abundance with respect to a stable element. This result is seen as evidence for a short timescale for galactic evolution and also for a problem with the stellar age scale.

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  1. Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, Postbox 800, 9700 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands

    H. R. Butcher

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Butcher, H. Thorium in G-dwarf stars as a chronometer for the Galaxy. Nature 328, 127–131 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/328127a0

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