Geological isotope anomalies as signatures of nearby supernovae

被引:98
作者
Ellis, J
Fields, BD
Schramm, DN
机构
[1] UNIV NOTRE DAME,DEPT PHYS,NOTRE DAME,IN 46556
[2] UNIV CHICAGO,CHICAGO,IL 60637
[3] INST ASTROPHYS PARIS,F-75014 PARIS,FRANCE
[4] FERMILAB NATL ACCELERATOR LAB,NASA,FERMILAB ASTROPHYS CTR,BATAVIA,IL 60510
关键词
Earth; nuclear reactions; nucleosynthesis; abundances; supernovae; general;
D O I
10.1086/177945
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
Nearby supernova explosions may cause geological isotope anomalies via the direct deposition of debris or by cosmic-ray spallation in the Earth's atmosphere. We estimate the mass of material deposited terrestrially by these two mechanisms, showing the dependence on the supernova distance. A number of radioactive isotopes are identified as possible diagnostic tools, such as Be-10, Al-26, Cl-36, Mn-53, Fe-60, and Ni-59, as well as the longer-lived I-129, Sm-146, and Pu-244. We discuss whether the 35 and 60 kyr old Be-10 anomalies observed in the Vostok Antarctic ice cores could be due to supernova explosions. Combining our estimates for matter deposition with results of recent nucleosynthesis yields, we calculate the expected signal from nearby supernovae using ice cores back to O(300) kyr ago, and we discuss using deep-ocean sediments back to several hundred Myr. In particular, we examine the prospects for identifying isotope anomalies due to the Geminga supernova explosion, and signatures of the possibility that supernovae might have caused one or more biological mass extinctions.
引用
收藏
页码:1227 / 1236
页数:10
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