Date/Time
Date(s) - 01/11/2006
4:30 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.