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Interstellar 60Fe on the surface of the Moon

Fimiani, L.; Cook, D. L.; Faestermann, T.; Gómez-Guzmán, J. M.; Hain, K.; Herzog, G.; Knie, K.; Korschinek, G.; Ludwig, P.; Park, J.; Reedy, R. C.; Rugel, G.

A dying massive star ends in a supernova explosion ejecting a large fraction of its mass into the interstellar medium. If this happens nearby, part of the ejecta might end on Solar System bodies and, in fact, radioactive 60Fe has been detected on the Pacific ocean floor in about 2 Ma old layers. Here, we report on the detection of this isotope also in lunar samples, originating presumably from the same event. The concentration of the cosmic ray produced isotope 53Mn, measured in the same samples, proves the supernova origin of the 60Fe. From the 60Fe concentrations found we deduce a reliable value for the local interstellar fluence in the range of 1 × 108 at/cm2. Thus, we obtain constraints on the recent and nearby supernova(e).

Keywords: AMS; Fe-60; Moon; Supernova

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-22371
Publ.-Id: 22371