Cosmic-Ray Bath in a Past Supernova Gives Birth to Earth-Like Planets
arXiv:2512.09660 · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adx7892
Abstract
A key question in astronomy is how ubiquitous Earth-like rocky planets are. The formation of terrestrial planets in our solar system was strongly influenced by the radioactive decay heat of short-lived radionuclides (SLRs), particularly Al, likely delivered from nearby supernovae. However, current models struggle to reproduce the abundance of SLRs inferred from meteorite analysis without destroying the protosolar disk. We propose the `immersion' mechanism, where cosmic-ray nucleosynthesis in a supernova shockwave reproduces estimated SLR abundances at a supernova distance (1 pc), preserving the disk. We estimate that solar-mass stars in star clusters typically experience at least one such supernova within 1 pc, supporting the feasibility of this scenario. This suggests solar-system-like SLR abundances and terrestrial planet formation are more common than previously thought.
arXiv comment23 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, and Supplementary Materials. Author accepted manuscript of an article published in Science Advances
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