The role of low-lying resonances for $^{10}$Be(p,$\alpha$) reaction rate and implications for the formation of the Solar System

TL;DR

This study investigates the production of $^{10}$Be in supernovae and finds that recent nuclear data suggest supernovae are unlikely sources of observed $^{10}$Be in meteorites, favoring solar spallation as its origin.

Contribution

The paper provides new reaction rate estimates based on recent experimental data, challenging previous supernova-based models for $^{10}$Be production in the early Solar System.

Findings

New $^{10}$Be(p,$eta$)$^{7}$Li reaction rates are significantly higher than previous estimates.

Low-mass supernovae cannot produce enough $^{10}$Be to match meteorite observations.

Spallation reactions by solar energetic particles are likely responsible for $^{10}$Be$ in meteorites.

Abstract

Evidence for the presence of short-lived radioactive isotopes when the Solar System formed is preserved in meteorites, providing insights into the conditions at the birth of our Sun. A low-mass core-collapse supernova had been postulated as a candidate for the origin of $^{10}$Be, reinforcing the idea that a supernova triggered the formation of the Solar System. We present a detailed study of the production of $^{10}$Be by the $\nu$ process in supernovae, which is very sensitive to the reaction rate of the major destruction channel, $^{10}$Be(p,$\alpha$)$^{7}$Li. With data from recent nuclear experiments that show the presence of a resonant state in $^{11}$B at $\approx$~193 keV, we derive new values for the $^{10}$Be(p,$\alpha$)$^{7}$Li reaction rate which are significantly higher than previous estimates. We show that, with the new $^{10}$Be(p,$\alpha$)$^{7}$Li reaction rate, a low mass CCSN is unlikely to produce enough $^{10}$Be to explain the observed $^{10}$Be/ $^{9}$Be ratio in meteorites, even for a wide range of neutrino spectra considered in our models. These findings point towards spallation reactions induced by solar energetic particles in the early Solar System as the origin of $^{10}$Be.