Where on Earth did 60Fe come from?

BiD4BESt’s Early Stage Researcher Evgenii Chaikin has recently had his first paper published after exploring the theory that the radioactive iron isotope 60Fe recently detected on Earth was originated from a near-Earth supernova (SN).  The observational data suggested that two SN events might have taken place in the past 10 million years: one about 3 million years ago and the other about 7 million years ago. To test this hypothesis, Evgenii ran a suite of numerical simulations of isolated supernovae (SNe) in a homogeneous interstellar medium.

Using two independent SNe and making reasonable assumptions about the  trajectory of the Solar System, Evgenii was able to reproduce the double-peaked profile of the observed signal.  This achievement meant  that his results further supported the theory that the 60Fe  signal detected on Earth had an SN origin.

Detailed information about Evgenii’s research can be found in the May 2022 issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Evgenii worked with three co-authors: Alexander A. Kaurov, Brian D. Fields, and Camila A. Correa who all made a significant contribution to the research and helped him on writing the final paper.

Ref: Simulations of 60Fe entrained in ejecta from a near-Earth supernova: effects of observer motion

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