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arXiv · 1003.3856

A runaway Wolf-Rayet star as the origin of 26-Al in the early solar system

Vincent Tatischeff·Jean Duprat·Nicolas de Sereville
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Abstract

Establishing the origin of the short-lived radionuclide (SLR) 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 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 26-Al-rich stellar ejecta into the cold protosolar nebula. We first show that the 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 41-Ca.

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Vincent Tatischeff, Jean Duprat, Nicolas de Sereville. 2010-03-19. A runaway Wolf-Rayet star as the origin of 26-Al in the early solar system. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205%2F714%2F1%2Fl26

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