학술논문

129I and 247Cm in Meteorites Constrain the Last Astrophysical Source of Solar r-process Elements
Document Type
Working Paper
Source
Science 26 Feb 2021: Vol. 371, Issue 6532, pp. 945-948
Subject
Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Nuclear Theory
Language
Abstract
The composition of the early Solar System can be inferred from meteorites. Many elements heavier than iron were formed by the rapid neutron-capture process (r process), but the astrophysical sources where this occurred remain poorly understood. We demonstrate that the near-identical half-lives ($\simeq$ 15.6 Myr) of the radioactive r-process nuclei 129I and 247Cm preserve their ratio, irrespective of the time between production and incorporation into the Solar System. We constrain the last r-process source by comparing the measured meteoritic 129I / 247Cm = 438 $\pm$ 184 to nucleosynthesis calculations based on neutron star merger and magneto-rotational supernova simulations. Moderately neutron-rich conditions, often found in merger disk ejecta simulations, are most consistent with the meteoritic value. Uncertain nuclear physics data limit our confidence in this conclusion.
Comment: 36 pages, 7 figures, 7 tables