New Constraints for Supernova Models from Presolar Silicon Carbide X Grains with Very High 26Al/27Al Ratios

Abstract

We report C, N, Mg-Al, Si, and S isotope data of six 1–3 μ m-sized SiC grains of Type X from the Murchison CM2 chondrite, believed to have formed in the ejecta of core-collapse supernova (CCSN) explosions. Their C, N, and Si isotopic compositions are fully compatible with previously studied X grains. Magnesium is essentially monoisotopic ^26 Mg which gives clear evidence for the decay of radioactive ^26 Al. Inferred initial ^26 Al/ ^27 Al ratios are between 0.6 and 0.78 which is at the upper end of previously observed ratios of X grains. Contamination with terrestrial or solar system Al apparently is low or absent, which makes the X grains from this study particularly interesting and useful for a quantitative comparison of Al isotope data with predictions from supernova models. The consistently high ^26 Al/ ^27 Al ratios observed here may suggest that the lower ^26 Al/ ^27 Al ratios of many X grains from the literature are the result of significant Al contamination and in part also of an improper quantification of ^26 Al. The real dispersion of ^26 Al/ ^27 Al ratios in X grains needs to be explored by future studies. The high observed ^26 Al/ ^27 Al ratios in this work provide a crucial constraint for the production of ^26 Al in CCSN models. We explored different CCSN models, including both “classical” and H ingestion CCSN models. It is found that the classical models cannot account for the high ^26 Al/ ^27 Al ratios observed here; in contrast, H ingestion models are able to reproduce the ^26 Al/ ^27 Al ratios along with C, N, and Si isotopic ratios reasonably well.

Keywords

• Circumstellar matter
• Meteorites
• Nucleosynthesis
• Supernovae