Isotopic Compositions of Cometary Matter Returned by Stardust

Authors

Kevin D. McKeegan, University of California - Los Angeles
et al.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-15-2006

Abstract

Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotopic compositions are heterogeneous among comet 81P/Wild 2 particle fragments; however, extreme isotopic anomalies are rare, indicating that the comet is not a pristine aggregate of presolar materials. Nonterrestrial nitrogen and neon isotope ratios suggest that indigenous organic matter and highly volatile materials were successfully collected. Except for a single ¹⁷O-enriched circumstellar stardust grain, silicate and oxide minerals have oxygen isotopic compositions consistent with solar system origin. One refractory grain is ¹⁶O-enriched, like refractory inclusions in meteorites, suggesting that Wild 2 contains material formed at high temperature in the inner solar system and transported to the Kuiper belt before comet accretion.

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Publication Title

Science

Recommended Citation

K. D. McKeegan, J. Aléon, C. M. O’D. Alexander, J. Bradley, D. Brownlee, P. Burnard, H. Busemann, A. Butterworth, M. Chaussidon, A. Davis, C. Floss, J. Gilmour, M. Gounelle, G. Graham, Y. Guan, P. Heck, C. Hohenberg, P. Hoppe, I. D. Hutcheon, J. Huth, H. Ishii, M. Ito, S. Jacobsen, L. A. Leshin, I. Lyon, K. Marhas, B. Marty, G. Matrajt, A. Meibom, A. Meshik, S. Messenger, S. Mostefaoui, K. Nakamura-Messenger, L. Nittler, R. Palma, M. Pellin, R. O. Pepin, R. Pik, D. A. Papanastassiou, F. Robert, M. R. Savina, D. Schlutter, C. J. Snead, F. J. Stadermann, R. Stroud, P. Tsou, A. Westphal, E. D. Young, K. Ziegler, L. Zimmermann, E. Zinner, 2006. Isotopic Compositions of Cometary Matter Returned by Stardust. Science 314, 1724-1728.

DOI

10.1126/science.1135992

Link to Publisher Version (DOI)

http://doi.org/10.1126/science.1135992

Publisher's Copyright and Source

Copyright © 2006 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Article published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Science, volume 314, issue number 5806, December 15, 2006, pages 1724-1728. Available online: http://doi.org/10.1126/science.1135992.