Settling the Half-Life of Fe-60: Fundamental for a Versatile Astrophysical Chronometer

Anton Wallner; M. Bichler; K. Buczak; R. Dressler; L. K. Fifield; D. Schumann; J. H. Sterba; S. G. Tims; G. Wallner; Walter Kutschera

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.041101

Settling the Half-Life of Fe-60: Fundamental for a Versatile Astrophysical Chronometer

Anton Wallner, M. Bichler, K. Buczak, R. Dressler, L. K. Fifield, D. Schumann, J. H. Sterba, S. G. Tims, G. Wallner, Walter Kutschera

Publications: Contribution to journal › Article › Peer Reviewed

Abstract

In order to resolve a recent discrepancy in the half-life of Fe60, we performed an independent measurement with a new method that determines the Fe60 content of a material relative to Fe55 (t1/2=2.744yr) with accelerator mass spectrometry. Our result of (2.50±0.12)×106yr clearly favors the recently reported value (2.62±0.04)×106yr, and rules out the older result of (1.49±0.27)×106yr. The present weighted mean half-life value of (2.60±0.05)×106yr substantially improves the reliability as an important chronometer for astrophysical applications in the million-year time range. This includes its use as a sensitive probe for studying recent chemical evolution of our Galaxy, the formation of the early Solar System, nucleosynthesis processes in massive stars, and as an indicator of a recent nearby supernova.

Original language	English
Article number	041101
Number of pages	6
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	114
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.041101
Publication status	Published - 28 Jan 2015

Funding

Part of this work was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Projects No. AP20434 and AI00428 (FWF and CoDustMas, Eurogenesis via ESF). We thank M. Frohlich (nee Srncik) for production of Fe oxide material.

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

104003 Inorganic chemistry
103014 Nuclear physics
104017 Physical chemistry

Keywords

EARLY SOLAR-SYSTEM
NUCLEAR-DATA SHEETS
PROTOPLANETARY DISK
IRON-60
FE-55
HETEROGENEITY
RADIONUCLIDES
FE-60-NI-60
CHRONOLOGY
CHONDRITES

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10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.041101

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title = "Settling the Half-Life of Fe-60: Fundamental for a Versatile Astrophysical Chronometer",

abstract = "In order to resolve a recent discrepancy in the half-life of Fe60, we performed an independent measurement with a new method that determines the Fe60 content of a material relative to Fe55 (t1/2=2.744yr) with accelerator mass spectrometry. Our result of (2.50±0.12)×106yr clearly favors the recently reported value (2.62±0.04)×106yr, and rules out the older result of (1.49±0.27)×106yr. The present weighted mean half-life value of (2.60±0.05)×106yr substantially improves the reliability as an important chronometer for astrophysical applications in the million-year time range. This includes its use as a sensitive probe for studying recent chemical evolution of our Galaxy, the formation of the early Solar System, nucleosynthesis processes in massive stars, and as an indicator of a recent nearby supernova.",

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AU - Wallner, Anton

AU - Bichler, M.

AU - Buczak, K.

AU - Dressler, R.

AU - Fifield, L. K.

AU - Schumann, D.

AU - Sterba, J. H.

AU - Tims, S. G.

AU - Wallner, G.

AU - Kutschera, Walter

PY - 2015/1/28

Y1 - 2015/1/28

N2 - In order to resolve a recent discrepancy in the half-life of Fe60, we performed an independent measurement with a new method that determines the Fe60 content of a material relative to Fe55 (t1/2=2.744yr) with accelerator mass spectrometry. Our result of (2.50±0.12)×106yr clearly favors the recently reported value (2.62±0.04)×106yr, and rules out the older result of (1.49±0.27)×106yr. The present weighted mean half-life value of (2.60±0.05)×106yr substantially improves the reliability as an important chronometer for astrophysical applications in the million-year time range. This includes its use as a sensitive probe for studying recent chemical evolution of our Galaxy, the formation of the early Solar System, nucleosynthesis processes in massive stars, and as an indicator of a recent nearby supernova.

AB - In order to resolve a recent discrepancy in the half-life of Fe60, we performed an independent measurement with a new method that determines the Fe60 content of a material relative to Fe55 (t1/2=2.744yr) with accelerator mass spectrometry. Our result of (2.50±0.12)×106yr clearly favors the recently reported value (2.62±0.04)×106yr, and rules out the older result of (1.49±0.27)×106yr. The present weighted mean half-life value of (2.60±0.05)×106yr substantially improves the reliability as an important chronometer for astrophysical applications in the million-year time range. This includes its use as a sensitive probe for studying recent chemical evolution of our Galaxy, the formation of the early Solar System, nucleosynthesis processes in massive stars, and as an indicator of a recent nearby supernova.

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KW - NUCLEAR-DATA SHEETS

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KW - FE-55

KW - HETEROGENEITY

KW - RADIONUCLIDES

KW - FE-60-NI-60

KW - CHRONOLOGY

KW - CHONDRITES

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VL - 114

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 4

M1 - 041101

ER -

Settling the Half-Life of Fe-60: Fundamental for a Versatile Astrophysical Chronometer

Abstract

Funding

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

Keywords

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