On the astrophysical interpretation of isotope anomalies in meteoritic SiC grains

• DOI: 10.1038/348298a0
• Publication Date: 2003-06-12T22:57:21Z
• Authors: R. Gallino; M. Busso; G. Picchio; C. M. Raiteri
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; CARBON STARS; METEORITIC COMPOSITION; SILICON CARBIDES; COSMIC DUST; s-process; 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Meteoritic silicon carbide grains, formed in the winds from carbon stars, contain noble gases and other species whose elemental and isotopic abundances are a probe of stellar nucleosynthesis. Theoretical models of carbon stars can explain a variety of measured abundances, in particular the range of krypton isotope ratios and the excess 22Ne found in the grains.