Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/11/2004
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Title: Solid SiC Particles from Supernova Interiors

Speaker: Dr. Donald Clayton

Institute: Department of Physics and Astronomy
Clemson University, USA

Location: ABB 102

Description:

I will show some SEM photographs of SiC stardust, and how those tiny mineral grains are identified in the laboratory. My discussion will focus on that subgroup of them that is believed to have condensed within the interiors of supernovae during their expansion and cooling. Their isotopic proportions differ greatly from those in the solar system. I present the problems of interpreting these bizarre isotopic compositions, and the thermochemical problems associated with their condensation in supernova interiors. These particles open a new window on supernova structure and nucleosynthesis.