129I and 247Cm in Meteorites Constrain the Last Astrophysical Source of Solar r-process Elements

Abstract

The composition of the early Solar System can be inferred from meteorites. Many elements heavier than iron were formed by the rapid neutron-capture process (r process), but the astrophysical sources where this occurred remain poorly understood. We demonstrate that the near-identical half-lives ($\simeq$ 15.6 Myr) of the radioactive r-process nuclei 129I and 247Cm preserve their ratio, irrespective of the time between production and incorporation into the Solar System. We constrain the last r-process source by comparing the measured meteoritic 129I / 247Cm = 438 $\pm$ 184 to nucleosynthesis calculations based on neutron star merger and magneto-rotational supernova simulations. Moderately neutron-rich conditions, often found in merger disk ejecta simulations, are most consistent with the meteoritic value. Uncertain nuclear physics data limit our confidence in this conclusion.

36 pages, 7 figures, 7 tables

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Cited by in corpus (25)

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• Nucleosynthesis and observation of the heaviest elements
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• Evolution of neutron capture elements in dwarf galaxies
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• Cosmic nucleosynthesis: a multi-messenger challenge
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• The Status and Future of Direct Nuclear Reaction Measurements for Stellar Burning
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• Evidence for r-process delay in very metal-poor stars
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• Constraints on $R$-process Nucleosynthesis from ${}^{129}$I and ${}^{247}$Cm in the Early Solar System
• Origin of Plutonium-244 in the Early Solar System
• Impact of $\text{T}$- and $\rho$-dependent decay rates and new (n,$\gamma$) cross sections on the $\text{s}$ process in low-mass AGB stars
• Impact of in situ nuclear networks and atomic opacities on neutron star merger ejecta dynamics, nucleosynthesis, and kilonovae
• Nuclear astrophysics
• Educated towards research: the first five years of the undergraduate mentoring program at Konkoly Observatory
• Nuclear data activities for medium mass and heavy nuclei at Los Alamos
• Cosmic Radioactivity and Galactic Chemical Evolution
• Sensitivity of Neutron-Rich Nuclear Isomer Behavior to Uncertainties in Direct Transitions