AMS measurements of cosmogenic and supernova-ejected radionuclides in deep-sea sediment cores

J. Feige, A. Wallner, L. K. Fifield, G. Korschinek, S. Merchel, G. Rugel, P. Steier, S. R. Winkler, R. Golser

    Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

    17 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Samples of two deep-sea sediment cores from the Indian Ocean are analyzed with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to search for traces of recent supernova activity ∼2 Myr ago. Here, long-lived radionuclides, which are synthesized in massive stars and ejected in supernova explosions, namely 26Al, 53Mn and 60Fe, are extracted from the sediment samples. The cosmogenic isotope 10Be, which is mainly produced in the Earth's atmosphere, is analyzed for dating purposes of the marine sediment cores. The first AMS measurement results for 10Be and 26Al are presented, which represent for the first time a detailed study in the time period of 1.7-3.1 Myr with high time resolution. Our first results do not support a significant extraterrestrial signal of 26Al above terrestrial background. However, there is evidence that, like 10Be, 26Al might be a valuable isotope for dating of deep-sea sediment cores for the past few million years.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number03003
    JournalEPJ Web of Conferences
    Volume63
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013
    EventHeavy Ion Accelerator Symposium 2013 - Canberra, ACT, Australia
    Duration: 8 Apr 201312 Apr 2013

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