Proliferation of Interstellar Plutonium into the Solar System

Reto Trappitsch | 19-LW-033

Executive Summary

We intend to measure the contemporary abundance of plutonium in the solar system and compare this value to the inferred abundance of plutonium in the early solar system, which will enable us to locate the production sites of the nuclei responsible for plutonium proliferation in the solar system. If successful, our new techniques for detecting extremely low levels of plutonium will yield results that shed light on the chemical evolution of our galaxy.

Publications, Presentations, Etc.

Battino, U., et al. 2019. "NuGrid Stellar Data Set. III.: Updated Low-Mass AGB Models and S-Process Nucleosynthesis." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , 489, 1082–1098. LLNL-JRNL-765023.

Fryer, C., et al. 2019. "Core Collapse Supernovae and Multi-Messenger Astronomy." Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society , 51, 122. LLNL-JRNL-776835.

Harrison, L., et al. 2019. "Method Optimization to Extract 1,000,000 Pu Atoms from Lunar Soil." Goldschmidt Geochemical Conference 2019. LLNL-ABS-770547.

Trappitsch, R., et al. 2019. "Towards the 1,000 Atom Detection Limit for 244Pu." Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 50, 2132. LLNL-ABS-765341.

Zingale, M., et al. 2019. "MMA SAG: Thermonuclear Supernovae." Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 51, 259. LLNL-JRNL-776836.