Litcius/Paper detail

Recent progress on interstellar radionuclides on Earth and the Moon

Dominik Koll, Sebastian Fichter, M.A.C. Hotchkis, Martin Martschini, Silke Merchel, Stefan Pavetich, Annabel Rolofs, S.G. Tims, Sebastian Zwickel, A. Wallner

2025The European Physical Journal A6 citationsDOIOpen Access PDF

Abstract

Abstract The detection of interstellar radionuclides in geological archives provides insights into nucleosynthesis in stars and stellar explosions as well as interstellar medium dynamics in the Local Bubble and the Local Interstellar Cloud. In this work, current projects to detect interstellar radionuclides with accelerator mass spectrometry will be reviewed. These projects aim to address unsolved questions regarding the timing and the origin of the influxes and to establish new radionuclides for future searches. For the first time, experimental evidence for an inhomogeneous deposition of interstellar $$^{60}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mmultiscripts> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mn>60</mml:mn> </mml:mmultiscripts> </mml:math> Fe on Earth will be presented and another potential source for $$^{60}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mmultiscripts> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mn>60</mml:mn> </mml:mmultiscripts> </mml:math> Fe on Earth and the Moon, primary galactic cosmic rays, will be introduced.

Topics & Concepts

AstrobiologyEarth (classical element)RadionuclideEarth scienceEnvironmental scienceAstronomyGeologyPhysicsNuclear physicsRadioactive contamination and transferRadioactivity and Radon MeasurementsAstro and Planetary Science