Photoevaporation versus enrichment in the cradle of the Sun

TL;DR

This study uses N-body simulations to investigate how short-lived radioisotopes could have been incorporated into the early Solar system without destroying its gas-rich protoplanetary discs, challenging traditional enrichment theories.

Contribution

It demonstrates that SLR enrichment is unlikely via massive star winds or supernovae due to disc destruction, suggesting alternative delivery mechanisms.

Findings

Discs can retain gas if their dust radius is fixed during photoevaporation.

Most discs do not survive until supernova events, limiting SLR enrichment.

Traditional enrichment from massive stars may not explain Solar system SLRs.

Abstract

The presence of short-lived radioisotopes (SLRs) 26-Al and 60-Fe in the Solar system places constraints on the initial conditions of our planetary system. Most theories posit that the origin of 26-Al and 60-Fe is in the interiors of massive stars, and they are either delivered directly to the protosolar disc from the winds and supernovae of the massive stars, or indirectly via a sequential star formation event. However, massive stars that produce SLRs also emit photoionising far and extreme ultraviolet radiation, which can destroy the gas component of protoplanetary discs, possibly precluding the formation of gas giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn. Here, we perfom N-body simulations of star-forming regions and determine whether discs that are enriched in SLRs can retain enough gas to form Jovian planets. We find that discs are enriched and survive the photoionising radiation only when the dust radius of the disc is fixed and not allowed to move inwards due to the photoevaporation, or outwards due to viscous spreading. Even in this optimal scenario, not enough discs survive until the supernovae of the massive stars and so have zero or very little enrichment in 60-Fe. We therefore suggest that the delivery of SLRs to the Solar system may not come from the winds and supernovae of massive stars.