An Even More Precise View of
Aluminum-26 in the Solar Nebula
•
26Al
might have come from:
– Active stars before the Solar
System formed, or
– Radiation of dust near the
young, active Sun
Wolf-Rayet star spewing stellar winds
• Distinguishing between
these choices requires
precise measurements of
Al and Mg isotopes to test
whether 26Al was
distributed uniformly in the
Solar System
• Uniform 26Al distribution is
also essential for its use as
a chronometer
http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Nov09/Al-26-distribution.html
An Even More Precise View of
Aluminum-26 in the Solar Nebula
High-precision isotope data for 15 chondrules
(example on left) shows that they all lie on a
common growth line that assumes a uniform
26Al/27Al ratio of 5.2 x 10-5, the value in calciumaluminum-inclusions in primitive chondrites.
http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Nov09/Al-26-distribution.html
An Even More Precise View of
Aluminum-26 in the Solar Nebula
http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Nov09/Al-26-distribution.html