Date/Time Date(s) - 01/11/20064:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Title: The Fossil History of the Solar System: Links to Interstellar Chemistry
Speaker: Dr. Edwin (Ted) Bergin
Institute: Dept. of Astronomy University of Michigan
Location: ABB 102
Description:
In a few key instances the chemical composition of meteorites and comets provides a fossil record of the physical conditions present at their creation. In this talk I will explore lines of evidence that link the chemisty of the solar nebula to that seen in the interstellar medium today. In particular, I will present results that address two long-standing questions in solar system chemistry: (1) the overall nitrogen deficiency in comets (when compared to carbon and oxygen) and (2) the origin of oxygen isotopic anomalies seen in primitive meteorites. I will show how an answer to these questions has implications for the origin of other anomalies seen in comets and meteorites, but also implies the birth of the Sun in a large star cluster.