| The galactic chemical evolution of short-lived radionuclides with an s-process contribution |
| Thomas Trueman |
|
Konkoly Observatory
Budapest, Hungary |
| Meteoritic analysis has revealed that several short-lived radionulcides (SLRs; radioactive isotopes with half-lives ~0.1–100 Myr) were present in the early Solar System (ESS). In much the same way that radioactive dating methods, e.g. carbon-dating, can be used to determine the age of objects relating to human history, we can use SLRs to caclulate timescales relevant for the birth of the Sun. Using a galactic chemical evolution (GCE) code we investigate the ESS origin of three SLRs (107Pd, 135Cs, 182Hf) that are produced by the slow neutron capture (s)-process inside asymptotic giant branch stars. By comparing our GCE predicted abundances to those inferred from meteorites, we estimate the length of time that the protosolar gas was isolated from further stellar enrichment events in the Galaxy before the birth of the Sun. Furthermore, we use the predicted 107Pd/182Hf ratio to show that our GCE models are missing 9–73% of the Pd in the ESS. |