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Opher M, Loeb A, Peek JEG. A possible direct exposure of the Earth to the cold dense interstellar medium 2-3 Myr ago. NATURE ASTRONOMY 2024; 8:983-990. [PMID: 39175532 PMCID: PMC11335566 DOI: 10.1038/s41550-024-02279-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Cold, dense clouds in the interstellar medium of our Galaxy are 4-5 orders of magnitude denser than their diffuse counterparts. Our Solar System has most likely encountered at least one of these dense clouds during its lifetime. However, evidence for such an encounter has not been studied in detail yet. Here we derive the velocity field of the Local Ribbon of Cold Clouds (LRCC) by modelling the 21 cm data from the HI4PI survey, finding that the Solar System may have passed through the LRCC in the constellation Lynx 2-3 million years ago. Using a state-of-the-art simulation of the heliosphere, we show that during the passage, the heliosphere shrinks to a scale of 0.22 au, smaller than the Earth's orbit around the Sun. This would have put the Earth in direct contact with the dense interstellar medium for a period of time and exposed it to a neutral hydrogen density above 3,000 cm-3. Such a scenario agrees with geological evidence from 60Fe and 244Pu isotopes. The encounter and related increased radiation from Galactic cosmic rays might have had a substantial impact on the Earth's system and climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merav Opher
- Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
- Astronomy Department, Boston University, Boston, MA USA
| | - Abraham Loeb
- Astronomy Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - J. E. G. Peek
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD USA
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Shchepkin AA, Vasilyev GI, Ostryakov VM, Pavlov AK. Sharp Rise in Cosmic Ray Irradiation of Organisms on Earth Caused by a Nearby SN Shockwave Passage. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:604-612. [PMID: 38717897 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
The work considers the modelling of nearby supernova (SN) effects on Earth's biosphere via cosmic rays (CRs) accelerated by shockwaves. The rise of the radiation background on Earth resulted from the external irradiation by CR high-energy particles and internal radiation in organisms by the decay of cosmogenic 14C is evaluated. We have taken into account that the CR flux near Earth goes up steeply when the shockwave crosses the Solar System, while in previous works the CR transport was considered as purely diffusive. Our simulations demonstrate a high rise of the external ionization of the environments at Earth's surface by atmospheric cascade particles that penetrate the first 70-100 m of water depth. Also, the cosmogenic 14C decay is able to irradiate the entire biosphere and deep ocean organisms. We analyzed the probable increase in mutation rate and estimated the distance between Earth and an SN, where the lethal effects of irradiation are possible. Our simulations demonstrate that for SN energy of around 1051 erg the lethal distance could be ∼18 pc.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Shchepkin
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - G I Vasilyev
- Ioffe Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - V M Ostryakov
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - A K Pavlov
- Ioffe Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
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3
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Brandt PC, Provornikova E, Bale SD, Cocoros A, DeMajistre R, Dialynas K, Elliott HA, Eriksson S, Fields B, Galli A, Hill ME, Horanyi M, Horbury T, Hunziker S, Kollmann P, Kinnison J, Fountain G, Krimigis SM, Kurth WS, Linsky J, Lisse CM, Mandt KE, Magnes W, McNutt RL, Miller J, Moebius E, Mostafavi P, Opher M, Paxton L, Plaschke F, Poppe AR, Roelof EC, Runyon K, Redfield S, Schwadron N, Sterken V, Swaczyna P, Szalay J, Turner D, Vannier H, Wimmer-Schweingruber R, Wurz P, Zirnstein EJ. Future Exploration of the Outer Heliosphere and Very Local Interstellar Medium by Interstellar Probe. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2023; 219:18. [PMID: 36874191 PMCID: PMC9974711 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-022-00943-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
A detailed overview of the knowledge gaps in our understanding of the heliospheric interaction with the largely unexplored Very Local Interstellar Medium (VLISM) are provided along with predictions of with the scientific discoveries that await. The new measurements required to make progress in this expanding frontier of space physics are discussed and include in-situ plasma and pick-up ion measurements throughout the heliosheath, direct sampling of the VLISM properties such as elemental and isotopic composition, densities, flows, and temperatures of neutral gas, dust and plasma, and remote energetic neutral atom (ENA) and Lyman-alpha (LYA) imaging from vantage points that can uniquely discern the heliospheric shape and bring new information on the interaction with interstellar hydrogen. The implementation of a pragmatic Interstellar Probe mission with a nominal design life to reach 375 Astronomical Units (au) with likely operation out to 550 au are reported as a result of a 4-year NASA funded mission study.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. C. Brandt
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - E. Provornikova
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - S. D. Bale
- University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - A. Cocoros
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - R. DeMajistre
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - K. Dialynas
- Office of Space Research and Technology, Academy of Athens, Athens, 10679 Greece
| | | | - S. Eriksson
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO USA
| | - B. Fields
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL USA
| | - A. Galli
- University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - M. E. Hill
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - M. Horanyi
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO USA
| | | | | | - P. Kollmann
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - J. Kinnison
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - G. Fountain
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - S. M. Krimigis
- Office of Space Research and Technology, Academy of Athens, Athens, 10679 Greece
| | | | - J. Linsky
- University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO USA
| | - C. M. Lisse
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - K. E. Mandt
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - W. Magnes
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
| | - R. L. McNutt
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | | | - E. Moebius
- University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH USA
| | - P. Mostafavi
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - M. Opher
- Boston University, Boston, MA USA
| | - L. Paxton
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - F. Plaschke
- Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - A. R. Poppe
- University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - E. C. Roelof
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | - K. Runyon
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ USA
| | | | | | | | | | - J. Szalay
- Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA
| | - D. Turner
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD USA
| | | | | | - P. Wurz
- University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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López-Lora M, Olszewski G, Chamizo E, Törnquist P, Pettersson H, Eriksson M. Plutonium Signatures in a Dated Sediment Core as a Tool to Reveal Nuclear Sources in the Baltic Sea. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:1959-1969. [PMID: 36690010 PMCID: PMC9910043 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Plutonium distribution was studied in an undisturbed sediment core sampled from the Tvären bay in the vicinity of the Studsvik nuclear facility in Sweden. The complete analysis, including minor isotopes, of the Pu isotope composition (238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu, 242Pu, and 244Pu) allowed us to establish the Pu origin in this area of the Baltic Sea and to reconstruct the Studsvik aquatic release history. The results show highly enriched 239Pu, probably originating from the Swedish nuclear program in the 1960s and 1970s and the handling of high burn-up nuclear fuel in the later years. In addition, the 244Pu/239Pu atomic ratio for the global fallout period between 1958 and 1965 is suggested to be (7.94 ± 0.31)·10-5. In the bottom layer of the sediment, dated 1953-1957, we detected a higher average 244Pu/239Pu ratio of (1.51 ± 0.11)·10-4, indicating the possible impact of the first US thermonuclear tests (1952-1958).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes López-Lora
- Department
of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV), Linköping University, 58183Linköping, Sweden
| | - Grzegorz Olszewski
- Department
of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV), Linköping University, 58183Linköping, Sweden
- Faculty
of Chemistry, Department of Environmental Chemistry and Radiochemistry,
Laboratory of Toxicology and Radiation Protection, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Elena Chamizo
- Centro
Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), Universidad de Sevilla, Junta de Andalucía,
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Parque científico y tecnológico Cartuja, Thomas Alva Edison 7, 41092Sevilla, Spain
| | - Per Törnquist
- Department
of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV), Linköping University, 58183Linköping, Sweden
| | - Håkan Pettersson
- Department
of Medical Radiation Physics, and Department of Health, Medicine and
Caring Sciences, Linköping University, 58183Linköping, Sweden
| | - Mats Eriksson
- Department
of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences (HMV), Linköping University, 58183Linköping, Sweden
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Origin of Plutonium-244 in the Early Solar System. UNIVERSE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/universe8070343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the origin in the early Solar System of the short-lived radionuclide 244Pu (with a half life of 80 Myr) produced by the rapid (r) neutron-capture process. We consider two large sets of r-process nucleosynthesis models and analyse if the origin of 244Pu in the ESS is consistent with that of the other r and slow (s) neutron-capture process radioactive nuclei. Uncertainties on the r-process models come from both the nuclear physics input and the astrophysical site. The former strongly affects the ratios of isotopes of close mass (129I/127I, 244Pu/238U, and 247Pu/235U). The 129I/247Cm ratio, instead, which involves isotopes of a very different mass, is much more variable than those listed above and is more affected by the physics of the astrophysical site. We consider possible scenarios for the evolution of the abundances of these radioactive nuclei in the galactic interstellar medium and verify under which scenarios and conditions solutions can be found for the origin of 244Pu that are consistent with the origin of the other isotopes. Solutions are generally found for all the possible different regimes controlled by the interval (δ) between additions from the source to the parcel of interstellar medium gas that ended up in the Solar System, relative to decay timescales. If r-process ejecta in interstellar medium are mixed within a relatively small area (leading to a long δ), we derive that the last event that explains the 129I and 247Cm abundances in the early Solar System can also account for the abundance of 244Pu. Due to its longer half life, however, 244Pu may have originated from a few events instead of one only. If r-process ejecta in interstellar medium are mixed within a relatively large area (leading to a short δ), we derive that the time elapsed from the formation of the molecular cloud to the formation of the Sun was 9-16 Myr.
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Chiera NM, Dressler R, Sprung P, Talip Z, Schumann D. High precision half-life measurement of the extinct radio-lanthanide Dysprosium-154. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8988. [PMID: 35643721 PMCID: PMC9148308 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12684-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Sixty years after the discovery of 154Dy, the half-life of this pure alpha-emitter was re-measured. 154Dy was radiochemically separated from proton-irradiated tantalum samples. Sector field- and multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were used to determine the amount of 154Dy retrieved. The disintegration rate of the radio-lanthanide was measured by means of α-spectrometry. The half-life value was determined as (1.40 ± 0.08)∙106 y, with an uncertainty reduced by a factor of ~ 10 compared to the currently adopted value of (3.0 ± 1.5)∙106 y. This precise half-life value is useful for the the correct testing and evaluation of p-process nucleosynthetic models using 154Dy as a seed nucleus or as a reaction product, as well as for the safe disposal of irradiated target material from accelerator driven facilities. As a first application of the half-life value determined in this work, the excitation functions for the production of 154Dy in proton-irradiated Ta, Pb, and W targets were re-evaluated, which are now in agreement with theoretical calculations.
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Matsueda M, Kawakami T, Koarai K, Terashima M, Fujiwara K, Iijima K, Furukawa M, Takagai Y. Using CO 2 Reactions to Achieve Mass-Spectrometric Discrimination in Simultaneous Plutonium-Isotope Speciation with Inductively Coupled Plasma–Tandem Mass Spectrometry. CHEM LETT 2022. [DOI: 10.1246/cl.220160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Matsueda
- Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
- Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2 Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, 963-7700, Japan
| | | | - Kazuma Koarai
- Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2 Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, 963-7700, Japan
| | - Motoki Terashima
- Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2 Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, 963-7700, Japan
| | - Kenso Fujiwara
- Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2 Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, 963-7700, Japan
| | - Kazuki Iijima
- Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 10-2 Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, 963-7700, Japan
| | - Makoto Furukawa
- PerkinElmer Japan Co., Ltd., 134 Godo, Hodogaya, Yokohama, Kanagawa 240–0005, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Takagai
- Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 960-1296 Japan
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Wu Y, Dai X, Xing S, Luo M, Christl M, Synal HA, Hou S. Direct search for primordial 244Pu in Bayan Obo bastnaesite. CHINESE CHEM LETT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2022.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Badurina L, Buchmueller O, Ellis J, Lewicki M, McCabe C, Vaskonen V. Prospective sensitivities of atom interferometers to gravitational waves and ultralight dark matter. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2022; 380:20210060. [PMID: 34923845 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2021.0060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We survey the prospective sensitivities of terrestrial and space-borne atom interferometers to gravitational waves generated by cosmological and astrophysical sources, and to ultralight dark matter. We discuss the backgrounds from gravitational gradient noise in terrestrial detectors, and also binary pulsar and asteroid backgrounds in space-borne detectors. We compare the sensitivities of LIGO and LISA with those of the 100 m and 1 km stages of the AION terrestrial AI project, as well as two options for the proposed AEDGE AI space mission with cold atom clouds either inside or outside the spacecraft, considering as possible sources the mergers of black holes and neutron stars, supernovae, phase transitions in the early Universe, cosmic strings and quantum fluctuations in the early Universe that could have generated primordial black holes. We also review the capabilities of AION and AEDGE for detecting coherent waves of ultralight scalar dark matter. AION-REPORT/2021-04 KCL-PH-TH/2021-61, CERN-TH-2021-116 This article is part of the theme issue 'Quantum technologies in particle physics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Badurina
- Department of Physics, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Oliver Buchmueller
- High Energy Physics Group, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - John Ellis
- Department of Physics, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK
- Theoretical Physics Department, CERN, Geneva 23 1211, Switzerland
- National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Rävala 10, Tallinn 10143, Estonia
| | - Marek Lewicki
- Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Pasteura 5, Warsaw 02-093, Poland
| | - Christopher McCabe
- Department of Physics, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Ville Vaskonen
- Institut de Fisica d'Altes Energies (IFAE), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain
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