Evidence from stable isotopes and Be-10 for solar system formation triggered by a low-mass supernova

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether a low-mass supernova could have triggered the solar system's formation by producing specific isotopic signatures, especially Be-10, consistent with observed anomalies.

Contribution

It proposes that a low-mass, low-energy supernova can explain isotopic evidence, resolving previous inconsistencies in supernova-triggered solar system formation hypotheses.

Findings

Be-10 can be synthesized in low-mass supernovae via neutrino interactions.

Stable isotope anomalies are minimized in low-mass supernova models.

Supports the low-mass supernova trigger hypothesis for solar system formation.

Abstract

About 4.6 billion years ago, some event disturbed a cloud of gas and dust, triggering the gravitational collapse that led to the formation of the solar system. A core-collapse supernova, whose shock wave is capable of compressing such a cloud, is an obvious candidate for the initiating event. This hypothesis can be tested because supernovae also produce telltale patterns of short-lived radionuclides, which would be preserved today as isotopic anomalies. Previous studies of the forensic evidence have been inconclusive, finding a pattern of isotopes differing from that produced in conventional supernova models. Here we argue that these difficulties either do not arise or are mitigated if the initiating supernova was a special type, low in mass and explosion energy. Key to our conclusion is the demonstration that short-lived Be-10 can be readily synthesized in such supernovae by neutrino interactions, while anomalies in stable isotopes are suppressed.