Who Pulled the Trigger: a Supernova or an AGB Star?

TL;DR

This study uses hydrodynamical models to determine whether a supernova or an AGB star triggered the formation of our solar system, focusing on the injection of short-lived radioisotopes like $^{60}$Fe.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates through simulations that supernova shock waves can effectively inject material into a protostar, unlike AGB star shocks, suggesting a supernova triggered solar system formation.

Findings

Supernova shocks are thin enough for effective injection.

AGB star shocks are too thick for sufficient injection.

Supernovae likely triggered the solar system formation.

Abstract

The short-lived radioisotope $^{60}$Fe requires production in a core collapse supernova or AGB star immediately before its incorporation into the earliest solar system solids. Shock waves from a somewhat distant supernova, or a relatively nearby AGB star, have the right speeds to simultaneously trigger the collapse of a dense molecular cloud core and to inject shock wave material into the resulting protostar. A new set of FLASH2.5 adaptive mesh refinement hydrodynamical models shows that the injection efficiency depends sensitively on the assumed shock thickness and density. Supernova shock waves appear to be thin enough to inject the amount of shock wave material necessary to match the short-lived radioisotope abundances measured for primitive meteorites. Planetary nebula shock waves from AGB stars, however, appear to be too thick to achieve the required injection efficiencies. These models imply that a supernova pulled the trigger that led to the formation of our solar system.