Neutron-rich chromium isotope anomalies in supernova nanoparticles

Abstract

Neutron-rich isotopes with masses near that of iron are produced in Type Ia and II supernovae (SNeIa and SNeII). Traces of such nucleosynthesis are found in primitive meteorites in the form of variations in the isotopic abundance of ⁵⁴Cr, the most neutron-rich stable isotope of chromium. The hosts of these isotopic anomalies must be presolar grains that condensed in the outflows of SNe, offering the opportunity to study the nucleosynthesis of iron-peak nuclei in ways that complement spectroscopic observations and can inform models of stellar evolution. However, despite almost two decades of extensive search, the carrier of ⁵⁴Cr anomalies is still unknown, presumably because it is fine grained and is chemically labile. Here, we identify in the primitive meteorite Orgueil the carrier of ⁵⁴Cr anomalies as nanoparticles (<100 nm), most likely spinels that show large enrichments in ⁵⁴Cr relative to solar composition (⁵⁴Cr/⁵²Cr ratio >3.6 × solar). Such large enrichments in ⁵⁴Cr can only be produced in SNe. The mineralogy of the grains supports condensation in the O/Ne-O/C zones of an SNII, although a Type Ia origin cannot be excluded. We suggest that planetary materials incorporated different amounts of these nanoparticles, possibly due to late injection by a nearby SN that also delivered ²⁶Al and ⁶⁰Fe to the solar system. This idea explains why the relative abundance of ⁵⁴Cr and other neutron-rich isotopes vary between planets and meteorites. We anticipate that future isotopic studies of the grains identified here will shed new light on the birth of the solar system and the conditions in SNe. © 2010. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.