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Isotope Variations in the Solar System: Supernova Fingerprints

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Handbook of Supernovae

Abstract

Matter in the Solar System contains contributions from a variety of nucleosynthetic sources, but isotopic compositions were largely homogenized during formation and subsequent evolution of smaller and larger bodies, including planets and the parent bodies of the meteorites. Nevertheless, recent improvements in analytical precision have revealed usually tiny variations ( ∼ 10−4) in isotope abundance ratios even on a bulk meteorite scale, while somewhat larger effects are seen at the level of individual petrological components and minerals. The observed signatures allow to pinpoint the input from individual types of stellar sources. Here, the effects are reviewed that are seen in bulk meteorites and refractory Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs). These include the signatures of now extinct radionuclides like26Al, which were alive at the time the Solar System formed. For several of these, a supernova source is the most plausible explanation. Among isotopic variations in nonradiogenic isotopes, an apparent supernova connection is indicated for the elements of the Fe-peak (Ca, Ti, Cr…), and in some CAIs, there is evidence in the neutron-capture elements for variable contributions from the r- and/or p-process. Naturally, isotopic variations seen in individual surviving stardust grains (which are not subject of this overview) are much larger.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Sciences, University of West Hungary, Szombathely, Hungary

    Ulrich Ott

  2. Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany

    Ulrich Ott

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  1. Ulrich Ott
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Correspondence to Ulrich Ott .

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  1. University College London Observatory, University College London, London, United Kingdom

    Athem W. Alsabti

  2. Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Paul Murdin

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Ott, U. (2017). Isotope Variations in the Solar System: Supernova Fingerprints. In: Alsabti, A., Murdin, P. (eds) Handbook of Supernovae. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21846-5_17

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