Towards a measurement of the half-life of 60Fe for stellar and early Solar System models

Abstract

Radioisotopes, produced in stars and ejected into the Interstellar Medium, are important for constraining stellar and early Solar System (ESS) models. In particular, the half-life of the radioisotope, 60Fe, can have an impact on calculations for the timing for ESS events, the distance to nearby Supernovae, and the brightness of individual, non-steady-state 60Fe gamma ray sources in the Galaxy. A half-life measurement has been undertaken at the University of Notre Dame and measurements of the 60Fe/56Fe concentration of our samples using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry has begun. This result will be coupled with an activity measurement of the isomeric decay in 60Co, which is the decay product of 60Fe. Preliminary half-life estimates of (2.53±0.24)×106years seem to confirm the recent measurement by Rugel et al. (2009).