44 research outputs found
Injection of Short-Lived Radionuclides into the Early Solar System from a Faint Supernova with Mixing-Fallback
Several short-lived radionuclides (SLRs) were present in the early solar
system, some of which should have formed just prior to or soon after the solar
system formation. Stellar nucleosynthesis has been proposed as the mechanism
for production of SLRs in the solar system, but no appropriate stellar source
has been found to explain the abundances of all solar system SLRs.
In this study, we propose a faint supernova with mixing and fallback as a
stellar source of SLRs with mean lives of <5 Myr (26Al, 41Ca, 53Mn, and 60Fe)
in the solar system. In such a supernova, the inner region of the exploding
star experiences mixing, a small fraction of mixed materials is ejected, and
the rest undergoes fallback onto the core. The modeled SLR abundances agree
well with their solar system abundances if mixing-fallback occurs within the
C/O-burning layer. In some cases, the initial solar system abundances of the
SLRs can be reproduced within a factor of 2. The dilution factor of supernova
ejecta to the solar system materials is ~10E-4 and the time interval between
the supernova explosion and the formation of oldest solid materials in the
solar system is ~1 Myr. If the dilution occurred due to spherically symmetric
expansion, a faint supernova should have occurred nearby the solar system
forming region in a star cluster.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Observation of Correlated Calcium-41 and Aluminum-26 in CV3 Hibonites
The demonstration of the presence of ^(41)Ca in the early solar system, based on the observation of excess ^(41)K in Efremovka CAIs [1,2], has led to several attempts that sought to identify plausible stellar sites and processes
that could have produced and subsequently injected a host of short-lived radionuclides (e.g., ^(41)Ca, ^(26)Al, ^(60)Fe, ^(53)Mn, and ^(107)Pd) into the protosolar cloud [3-5]
Thermal history modeling of the H chondrite parent body
The cooling histories of individual meteorites can be empirically
reconstructed by using ages from different radioisotopic chronometers with
distinct closure temperatures. For a group of meteorites derived from a single
parent body such data permit the reconstruction of the cooling history and
properties of that body. Particularly suited are H chondrites because precise
radiometric ages over a wide range of closure temperatures are available. A
thermal evolution model for the H chondrite parent body is constructed by using
all H chondrites for which at least three different radiometric ages are
available. Several key parameters determining the thermal evolution of the H
chondrite parent body and the unknown burial depths of the H chondrites are
varied until an optimal fit is obtained. The fit is performed by an 'evolution
algorithm'. Empirical data for eight samples are used for which radiometric
ages are available for at least three different closure temperatures. A set of
parameters for the H chondrite parent body is found that yields excellent
agreement (within error bounds) between the thermal evolution model and
empirical data of six of the examined eight chondrites. The new thermal model
constrains the radius and formation time of the H chondrite parent body
(possibly (6) Hebe), the initial burial depths of the individual H chondrites,
the average surface temperature of the body, the average initial porosity of
the material the body accreted from, and the initial 60Fe content of the H
chondrite parent body.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure
One of the earliest refractory inclusions and its implications for solar system history
A ∼175 µm refractory inclusion, A-COR-01 from one of the least altered carbonaceous chondrites, ALHA 77307 (CO3.0), has been found to bear unique characteristics that indicate that it is one of the first solids to have formed at the very birth of the solar system while isotopic reservoirs were still evolving rapidly. Its core is composed mainly of hibonite and corundum, the two phases predicted to condense first from a gas of solar composition, and like many common types of Calcium-, Aluminium-rich Inclusions (CAIs) is surrounded by a rim of diopside. Core minerals in A-COR-01 are very 16O-rich (Δ17OCore = -32.5 ± 3.3 (2SD) ‰) while those in the rim display an O isotopic composition (Δ17ORim = -24.8 ± 0.5 (2SD) ‰) indistinguishable from that found in the vast majority of the least altered CAIs. These observations indicate that this CAI formed in a very 16O-rich reservoir and either recorded the subsequent evolution of this reservoir or the transit to another reservoir. The origin of A-COR-01in a primitive reservoir is consistent with the very low content of excess of radiogenic 26Mg in its core minerals corresponding to the inferred initial 26Al/27Al ratio ((26Al/27Al)0 = (1.67 ± 0.31) × 10-7), supporting a very early formation before injection and/or homogenisation of 26Al in the protoplanetary disk. Possible reservoir evolution and short-lived radionuclide (SLRs) injection scenarios are discussed and it is suggested that the observed isotope composition resulted from mixing of a previously un-observed early reservoir with the rest of the disk
A Critical Examination of the X-Wind Model for Chondrule and Calcium-rich, Aluminum-rich Inclusion Formation and Radionuclide Production
Meteoritic data, especially regarding chondrules and calcium-rich,
aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), and isotopic evidence for short-lived
radionuclides (SLRs) in the solar nebula, potentially can constrain how
planetary systems form. Intepretation of these data demands an astrophysical
model, and the "X-wind" model of Shu et al. (1996) and collaborators has been
advanced to explain the origin of chondrules, CAIs and SLRs. It posits that
chondrules and CAIs were thermally processed < 0.1 AU from the protostar, then
flung by a magnetocentrifugal outflow to the 2-3 AU region to be incorporated
into chondrites. Here we critically examine key assumptions and predictions of
the X-wind model. We find a number of internal inconsistencies: theory and
observation show no solid material exists at 0.1 AU; particles at 0.1 AU cannot
escape being accreted into the star; particles at 0.1 AU will collide at speeds
high enough to destroy them; thermal sputtering will prevent growth of
particles; and launching of particles in magnetocentrifugal outflows is not
modeled, and may not be possible. We also identify a number of incorrect
predictions of the X-wind model: the oxygen fugacity where CAIs form is orders
of magnitude too oxidizing; chondrule cooling rates are orders of magnitude
lower than those experienced by barred olivine chondrules; chondrule-matrix
complementarity is not predicted; and the SLRs are not produced in their
observed proportions. We conclude that the X-wind model is not relevant to
chondrule and CAI formation and SLR production. We discuss more plausible
models for chondrule and CAI formation and SLR production.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe
The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the
dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for
life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront
of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early
evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The
Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed
plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE
is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity
neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi
National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream
of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed
as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research
Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in
Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at
Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino
charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet
cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can
accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional
combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and
potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility
for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around
the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program
of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of
LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics
worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will
possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for
LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a
comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the
landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate
and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure
Long-lived magnetism from solidification-driven convection on the pallasite parent body.
Palaeomagnetic measurements of meteorites suggest that, shortly after the birth of the Solar System, the molten metallic cores of many small planetary bodies convected vigorously and were capable of generating magnetic fields. Convection on these bodies is currently thought to have been thermally driven, implying that magnetic activity would have been short-lived. Here we report a time-series palaeomagnetic record derived from nanomagnetic imaging of the Imilac and Esquel pallasite meteorites, a group of meteorites consisting of centimetre-sized metallic and silicate phases. We find a history of long-lived magnetic activity on the pallasite parent body, capturing the decay and eventual shutdown of the magnetic field as core solidification completed. We demonstrate that magnetic activity driven by progressive solidification of an inner core is consistent with our measured magnetic field characteristics and cooling rates. Solidification-driven convection was probably common among small body cores, and, in contrast to thermally driven convection, will have led to a relatively late (hundreds of millions of years after accretion), long-lasting, intense and widespread epoch of magnetic activity among these bodies in the early Solar System.The research leading to these
results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's
Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant Agreement No. 320750, the
European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant
agreement no. 312284, the Natural Environment Research Council, Fundación ARAID and the
Spanish MINECO MAT2011-23791.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature at http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v517/n7535/full/nature14114.html
Long-lived magnetism on chondrite parent bodies
publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Long-lived magnetism on chondrite parent bodies journaltitle: Earth and Planetary Science Letters articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.07.035 content_type: article copyright: © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The attached file is the published version of the article
First measurement of electron neutrino appearance in NOvA
We report results from the first search for νμ→νe transitions by the NOvA experiment. In an exposure equivalent to 2.74×1020 protons on target in the upgraded NuMI beam at Fermilab, we observe 6 events in the Far Detector, compared to a background expectation of 0.99±0.11(syst) events based on the Near Detector measurement. A secondary analysis observes 11 events with a background of 1.07±0.14(syst). The 3.3σ excess of events observed in the primary analysis disfavors 0.1π<δCP<0.5π in the inverted mass hierarchy at the 90% C.L