A thorough examination of the most ancient ice deposits in Antarctica was conducted by scientists, revealing the presence of the rare radioactive isotope iron-60 (Fe-60). This isotope, which boasts a half-life of approximately 2.6 million years, originates from infrequent astrophysical phenomena, notably the explosions of massive stars. The findings of this study were published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
The team of researchers posits that the majority of the Fe-60 was created through nucleosynthesis within supernova events, thereby establishing it as a crucial marker for astrophysical occurrences that transpired millions of years ago.
Antarctic ice serves as a unique, natural repository, preserving data concerning ancient geological and astrophysical events on our planet. By analyzing the ice cores retrieved as part of the European EPICA project, researchers gain the capacity to reconstruct the timeline, dynamics of climatic shifts, and cosmic occurrences.
A team of astrophysicists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf Institute carried out a meticulous investigation of these samples, employing methods involving ice melting followed by mass spectrometric analysis.
The scientists suggest that the detected fluctuations in the concentration of Fe-60 correlate with the Solar System’s passage through the Local Interstellar Cloud, which contains debris from exploded supernovae. The uneven distribution of Fe-60 across different ice strata indicates that the composition of this cloud was not uniform, acting as an indicator of its intricate structure and past.
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