Binary systems and their nuclear explosions

Peer ReviewedPreprin

Stardust from Supernovae and Its Isotopes

Primitive solar system materials, namely, meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, and cometary matter contain small quantities of nanometer- to micrometer-sized refractory dust grains that exhibit large isotopic abundance anomalies. These grains are older than our solar system and have been named “presolar grains.” They formed in the winds of red giant and asymptotic giant stars and in the ejecta of stellar explosions, i.e., represent a sample of stardust that can be analyzed in terrestrial laboratories for isotopic compositions and other properties. The inventory of presolar grains is dominated by grains from red giant and asymptotic giant branch stars. Presolar grains from supernovae form a minor but important subpopulation. Supernova (SN) minerals identified to date include silicon carbide, graphite, silicon nitride, oxides, and silicates. Isotopic studies of major, minor, and trace elements in these dust grains have provided detailed insights into nucleosynthetic and mixing processes in supernovae and how dust forms in these violent environments

The synthesis of organic and inorganic compounds in evolved stars

Recent isotopic analysis of meteorites and interplanetary dust has identified solid-state materials of pre-solar origin. We can now trace the origin of these inorganic grains to the circumstellar envelopes of evolved stars. Moreover, organic (aromatic and aliphatic) compounds have been detected in proto-planetary nebulae and planetary nebulae, which are the descendants of carbon stars. This implies that molecular synthesis is actively happening in the circumstellar environment on timescales as short as several hundred years. The detection of stellar grains in the Solar System suggests that they can survive their journey through the interstellar medium and that they are a major contributor of interstellar grains.link_to_subscribed_fulltex