A RUNAWAY WOLF-RAYET STAR AS THE ORIGIN OF {sup 26}Al IN THE EARLY SOLAR SYSTEM
- Centre de Spectrometrie Nucleaire et de Spectrometrie de Masse, IN2P3-CNRS and Univ Paris-Sud, F-91405 Orsay Cedex (France)
- Institut de Physique Nucleaire d'Orsay, IN2P3-CNRS and Univ Paris-Sud, F-91405 Orsay Cedex (France)
Establishing the origin of the short-lived radionuclide (SLR) {sup 26}Al, which was present in refractory inclusions in primitive meteorites, has profound implications for the astrophysical context of solar system formation. Recent observations that {sup 26}Al was homogeneously distributed in the inner solar system prove that this SLR has a stellar origin. In this Letter, we address the issue of the incorporation of hot {sup 26}Al-rich stellar ejecta into the cold protosolar nebula. We first show that the {sup 26}Al atoms produced by a population of massive stars in an OB association cannot be injected into protostellar cores with enough efficiency. We then show that this SLR likely originated in a Wolf-Rayet star that escaped from its parent cluster and interacted with a neighboring molecular cloud. The explosion of this runaway star as a supernova probably triggered the formation of the solar system. This scenario also accounts for the meteoritic abundance of {sup 41}Ca.
- OSTI ID:
- 21305012
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 714, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/714/1/L26; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The Timing of Potential Last Nucleosynthetic Injections into the Protosolar Molecular Cloud Inferred from 41Ca–26Al Systematics of Bulk CAIs
Galactic ring nebulae associated with Wolf-Rayet stars. VI. NGC 3199, anon (MR 26), RCW 58, and RCW 104