The nucleosynthetic fingerprint of the outermost protoplanetary disk and early Solar System dynamics

van Kooten, Elishevah; Zhao, Xuchao; Franchi, Ian; Tung, Po-Yen; Fairclough, Simon; Walmsley, John; Onyett, Isaac; Schiller, Martin and Bizzarro, Martin (2024). The nucleosynthetic fingerprint of the outermost protoplanetary disk and early Solar System dynamics. Science Advances, 10(24), article no. eadp1613.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp1613

Abstract

Knowledge of the nucleosynthetic isotope composition of the outermost protoplanetary disk is critical to understand the formation and early dynamical evolution of the Solar System. We report the discovery of outer disk material preserved in a pristine meteorite based on its chemical composition, organic-rich petrology, and ¹⁵N-rich, deuterium-rich, and ¹⁶O-poor isotope signatures. We infer that this outer disk material originated in the comet-forming region. The nucleosynthetic Fe, Mg, Si, and Cr compositions of this material reveal that, contrary to current belief, the isotope signature of the comet-forming region is ubiquitous among outer Solar System bodies, possibly reflecting an important planetary building block in the outer Solar System. This nucleosynthetic component represents fresh material added to the outer disk by late accretion streamers connected to the ambient molecular cloud. Our results show that most Solar System carbonaceous asteroids accreted material from the comet-forming region, a signature lacking in the terrestrial planet region.