S-process krypton of variable isotopic composition in the Murchison meteorite

Abstract

Current theories on the origin of the chemical elements explain the abundance of medium-heavy and heavy nuclides to he due to the capture by pre-existing lighter nuclides of free neutrons on either a slow timescale (s-process) or a rapid timescale (r-process) 1-3. Experimental evidence in support of these theories comes from the analysis of carbonaceous chondrites. In acid-resistant residues of these meteorites a kind of xenon has been found, the isotopic composition of which matches almost perfectly that predicted for s-process xenon 4,5. We report data that allow us, for the first time, to derive with reasonable precision the full isotopic spectrum of s-process krypton as well. We show that this s-Kr in a residue from Murchison meteorite did not originate in one single s-process but rather is a mixture of contributions from stellar environments where the density of free neutrons was not the same. The astrophysical conditions under which this krypton has been produced were distinct from those that have been invoked to explain the Solar System s-process abundance. Similar to the 13C-rich carbon component in an aliquot of the same residue 6, the s-process Kr from different astrophysical sites has retained its identity during the accumulation and subsequent history of the meteorite. © 1988 Nature Publishing Group.