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Live (not decayed) radioisotopes on the Earth and Moon are messengers from recent nearby astrophysical explosions. Measurements of 60Fe in deep-sea samples, Antarctic snow, and lunar regolith reveal two pulses about 3 Myr and 7 Myr ago. Detection of 244Pu in a deep-sea crust indicates a recent r-process event. We review the ultrasensitive accelerator mass spectrometry techniques that enable these findings. We then explore the implications for astrophysics, including supernova nucleosynthesis, particularly the r-process, as well as supernova dust production and the formation of the Local Bubble that envelops the Solar System. The implications go beyond nuclear physics and astrophysics to include studies of heliophysics, astrobiology, geology, and evolutionary biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review assesses the current state of knowledge of how the elements were produced in the Big Bang, in stellar lives and deaths, and by interactions in interstellar gas. We begin with statements of fact and discuss the evidence that convinced astronomers that the Sun is fusing hydrogen, that low-mass stars produce heavy elements through neutron capture, that massive stars can explode as supernovae and that supernovae of all types produce new elements. Nucleosynthesis in the Big Bang, through cosmic ray spallation, and in exploding white dwarfs is only ranked below the above facts in certainty because the evidence, while overwhelming, is so far circumstantial. Next, we highlight the flaws in our current understanding of the predictions for lithium production in the Big Bang and/or its destruction in stars and for the production of the elements with atomic number Z~45. While the theory that neutron star mergers produce elements through neutroncapture has powerful circumstantial evidence, we are unconvinced that they produce all of the elements past nickel. Also in dispute is the exact mechanism or mechanisms that cause the white dwarfs to explode. It is difficult to determine the origin of rare isotopes because signatures of their production are weak. We are uncertain about the production sites of some lithium and nitrogen isotopes and proton-rich heavy nuclei. Finally, Betelgeuse is probably not the next star to become a supernovae in the Milky Way, in part because Betelgeuse may collapse directly to a black hole instead. The accumulated evidence in this review shows that we understand the major production sites for the elements, but islands of uncertainty in the periodic table exist. Resolving these uncertainties requires in particular understanding explosive events with compact objects and understanding the nature of the first stars and is therefore primed for new discoveries in the next decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by recent measurements of deposits of 60Fe on the ocean floor and the lunar surface, we model the transport of dust grains containing 60Fe from a near-Earth (i.e., within 100 pc) supernova (SN). We inject dust grains into the environment of an SN remnant (SNR) and trace their trajectories by applying a 1D hydrodynamic description assuming spherical symmetry to describe the plasma dynamics, and we include a rudimentary, 3D magnetic field description to examine its influence on charged dust grains. We assume the interstellar medium (ISM) magnetic fields are turbulent and are amplified by the SNR shock, while the SN wind and ejecta fields are negligible. We examine the various influences on the dust grains within the SNR to determine when/if the dust decouples from the plasma, how much it is sputtered, and where within the SNR the dust grains are located. We find that Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities are important for dust survival, as they influence the location of the SN's reverse shock. We find that the presence of a magnetic field within the shocked ISM material limits the passage of SN dust grains, with the field either reflecting or trapping the grains within the heart of the SNR. These results have important implications for in situ 60Fe measurements and for dust evolution in SNRs generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Milky Way Type Ia supernova (SNIa) could be unidentified or even initially unnoticed, being dim in radio, X-rays, and neutrinos, and suffering large optical/IR extinction in the Galactic plane. But SNIa emit nuclear gamma-ray lines from 56Ni → 56Co → 56Fe radioactive decays. These lines fall within the Fermi /GBM energy range, and the 56Ni 158 keV line is detectable by Swift /BAT. Both instruments frequently monitor the Galactic plane, which is transparent to gamma rays. Thus GBM and BAT are ideal Galactic SNIa early warning systems. We simulate SNIa MeV light curves and spectra to show that GBM and BAT could confirm a Galactic SNIa explosion, followed by Swift localization and observation in X-rays and UVOIR band. The time of detection depends sensitively on the 56Ni distribution, and can be as early as a few days if |${\gtrsim } 10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of the 56Ni is present in the surface as suggested by SN2014J gamma data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Devonian was a protracted period of low speciation resulting in biodiversity decline, culminating in extinction events near the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary. Recent evidence indicates that the final extinction event may have coincided with a dramatic drop in stratospheric ozone, possibly due to a global temperature rise. Here we study an alternative possible cause for the postulated ozone drop: a nearby supernova explosion that could inflict damage by accelerating cosmic rays that can deliver ionizing radiation for up to 100 ky. We therefore propose that the end-Devonian extinctions were triggered by supernova explosions at 20 pc, somewhat beyond the "kill distance" that would have precipitated a full mass extinction. Such nearby supernovae are likely due to core collapses of massive stars; these are concentrated in the thin Galactic disk where the Sun resides. Detecting either of the long-lived radioisotopes 146Sm or 244Pu in one or more end-Devonian extinction strata would confirm a supernova origin, point to the core-collapse explosion of a massive star, and probe supernova nucleosynthesis. Other possible tests of the supernova hypothesis are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several starburst galaxies have been observed in the GeV and TeV bands. In these dense environments, gamma-ray emission should be dominated by cosmic ray (CR) interactions with the interstellar medium (pcrpism → π0 → γγ). Indeed, starbursts may act as proton 'calorimeters' where a substantial fraction of CR energy input is emitted in gamma-rays. Here, we build a one-zone, 'thick-target' model implementing calorimetry and placing a firm upper bound on gamma-ray emission from CR interactions. The model assumes that CRs are accelerated by supernovae (SNe), and all suffer nuclear interactions rather than escape. Our model has only two free parameters: the CR proton acceleration energy per SN ϵcr, and the proton injection spectral index s. We calculate the pionic gamma-ray emission from 10 MeV to 10 TeV, and derive thick-target parameters for six galaxies with Fermi, H.E.S.S., and/or VERITAS data. Our model provides good fits for the M82 and NGC 253, and yields ϵcr and s values suggesting that SN CR acceleration is similar in starbursts and in our Galaxy. We find that these starbursts are indeed nearly if not fully proton calorimeters. For NGC 4945 and NGC 1068, the models are consistent with calorimetry but are less well-constrained due to the lack of TeV data. However, the Circinus galaxy and the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Arp 220 exceed our pionic upper-limit; possible explanations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a wealth of data on live, undecayed 60Fe (t 1/2 = 2.6 Myr) in deep-sea deposits, the lunar regolith, cosmic rays, and Antarctic snow, which is interpreted as originating from the recent explosions of at least two near-Earth supernovae. We use the 60Fe profiles in deep-sea sediments to estimate the timescale of supernova debris deposition beginning ∼3 Myr ago. The available data admits a variety of different profile functions, but in all cases the best-fit 60Fe pulse durations are >1.6 Myr when all the data is combined. This timescale far exceeds the ≲0.1 Myr pulse that would be expected if 60Fe was entrained in the supernova blast wave plasma. We interpret the long signal duration as evidence that 60Fe arrives in the form of supernova dust, whose dynamics are separate from but coupled to the evolution of the blast plasma. In this framework, the >1.6 Myr is that for dust stopping due to drag forces. This scenario is consistent with the simulations in Fry et al. (2020), where the dust is magnetically trapped in supernova remnants and thereby confined around regions of the remnant dominated by supernova ejects, where magnetic fields are low. This picture fits naturally with models of cosmic-ray injection of refractory elements as sputtered supernova dust grains and implies that the recent 60Fe detections in cosmic rays complement the fragments of grains that survived to arrive on the Earth and Moon. Finally, we present possible tests for this scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectacular outbursts of energy associated with supernovae (SNe) have long motivated research into their potentially hazardous effects on Earth and analogous environments. Much of this research has focused primarily on the atmospheric damage associated with the prompt arrival of ionizing photons within days or months of the initial outburst, and the high-energy cosmic rays that arrive thousands of years after the explosion. In this study, we turn the focus to persistent X-ray emission, arising in certain SNe that have interactions with a dense circumstellar medium and observed months and/or years after the initial outburst. The sustained high X-ray luminosity leads to large doses of ionizing radiation out to formidable distances. We assess the threat posed by these X-ray-luminous SNe for Earth-like planetary atmospheres; our results are rooted in the X-ray SN observations from Chandra, Swift-XRT, XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and others. We find that this threat is particularly acute for SNe showing evidence of strong circumstellar interaction, such as Type IIn explosions, which have significantly larger ranges of influence than previously expected and lethal consequences up to ∼50 pc away. Furthermore, X-ray-bright SNe could pose a substantial and distinct threat to terrestrial biospheres and tighten the Galactic habitable zone. We urge follow-up X-ray observations of interacting SNe for months and years after the explosion to shed light on the physical nature and full-time evolution of the emission and to clarify the danger that these events pose for life in our galaxy and other star-forming regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the effect of neutron lifetime and its uncertainty on standard big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). BBN describes the cosmic production of the light nuclides, 1 H , D, 3 H + 3 He , 4 He , and 7 Li + 7 Be , in the first minutes of cosmic time. The neutron mean life τ n has two roles in modern BBN calculations: (1) it normalizes the matrix element for weak n ↔ p interconversions, and (2) it sets the rate of free neutron decay after the weak interactions freeze-out. We review the history of the interplay between τ n measurements and BBN, and present a study of the sensitivity of the light element abundances to the modern neutron lifetime measurements. We find that τ n uncertainties dominate the predicted 4 He error budget, but these theory errors remain smaller than the uncertainties in 4 He observations, even with the dispersion in recent neutron lifetime measurements. For the other light element predictions, τ n contributes negligibly to their error budget. Turning the problem around, we combine present BBN and cosmic microwave background (CMB) determinations of the cosmic baryon density to predict a "cosmologically preferred" mean life of τ n (BBN + CMB) = 870 ± 16 s , which is consistent with experimental mean life determinations. We show that if future astronomical and cosmological helium observations can reach an uncertainty of σ obs (Y p) = 0.001 in the 4 He mass fraction Y p , this could begin to discriminate between the mean life determinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the supermassive black hole Sgr A* at the center of the Milky Way grew adiabatically from an initial seed embedded in a Navarro-Frenk-White dark matter (DM) halo, then the DM profile near the hole has steepened into a spike. We calculate the dramatic enhancement to the gamma-ray flux from the Galactic center (GC) from such a spike if the 1-3 GeV excess observed in Fermi data is due to DM annihilations. We find that for the parameter values favored in recent fits, the point-source-like flux from the spike is 35 times greater than the flux from the inner 1° of the halo, far exceeding all Fermi point source detections near the GC. We consider the dependence of the spike signal on astrophysical and particle parameters and conclude that if the GC excess is due to DM, then a canonical adiabatic spike is disfavored by the data. We discuss alternative Galactic histories that predict different spike signals, including (i) the nonadiabatic growth of the black hole, possibly associated with halo and/or black hole mergers, (ii) gravitational interaction of DM with baryons in the dense core, such as heating by stars, or (iii) DM self-interactions. We emphasize that the spike signal is sensitive to a different combination of particle parameters than the halo signal and that the inclusion of a spike component to any DM signal in future analyses would provide novel information about both the history of the GC and the particle physics of DM annihilations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermi has resolved several star-forming galaxies, but the vast majority of the star-forming universe is unresolved, and thus contributes to the extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGB). Here, we calculate the contribution of star-forming galaxies to the EGB in the Fermi range from 100 MeV to 100 GeV due to inverse-Compton (IC) scattering of the interstellar photon field by cosmic-ray electrons.We first construct one-zone models for individual star-forming galaxies assuming that supernovae power the acceleration of cosmic rays. We develop templates for both normal and starburst galaxies, accounting for differences in the cosmic-ray electron propagation and in the interstellar radiation fields. For both types of star-forming galaxies, the same IC interactions leading to gamma rays also substantially contribute to the energy loss of the high-energy cosmic-ray electrons. Consequently, a galaxy's IC emission is determined by the relative importance of IC losses in the cosmic-ray electron energy budget ("partial calorimetry").We calculate the cosmological contribution of star-forming galaxies to the EGB using our templates and the cosmic star formation rate distribution. For all of our models, we find that the IC EGB contribution is almost an order of magnitude less than the peak of the emission due to cosmic-ray ion interactions (mostly pionic pcrpism → π0 → γγ); even at the highest Fermi energies, IC is subdominant. The flatter IC spectrum increases the high-energy signal of the pionic+IC sum, bringing it closer to the EGB spectral index observed by Fermi. Partial calorimetry ensures that the overall IC signal is relatively well constrained, with only uncertainties in the amplitude and spectral shape for plausible model choices. We conclude with a brief discussion on how the pionic spectral feature and other methods can be used to measure the star-forming component of the EGB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGB) has been intensively studied but remains unsettled. Current popular source candidates include unresolved star-forming galaxies, starburst galaxies, and blazars. In this paper, we calculate the EGB contribution from the interactions of cosmic rays accelerated by Type Ia supernovae (SNe), extending earlier work that only included core-collapse SNe. We consider Type Ia events not only in star-forming galaxies, but also in quiescent galaxies that lack star formation. In the case of starforming galaxies, consistently including Type Ia events makes little change to the star-forming EGB prediction, so long as both SN types have the same cosmic-ray acceleration efficiencies in star-forming galaxies. Thus, our updated EGB estimate continues to show that star-forming galaxies can represent a substantial portion of the signal measured by Fermi. In the case of quiescent galaxies, conversely, we find a wide range of possibilities for the EGB contribution. The dominant uncertainty we investigated comes from the mass in hot gas in these objects, which provides targets for cosmic rays; total gas masses are as yet poorly known, particularly at larger radii. Additionally, the EGB estimation is very sensitive to the cosmic-ray acceleration efficiency and confinement, especially in quiescent galaxies. In the most optimistic allowed scenarios, quiescent galaxies can be an important source of the EGB. In this case, star-forming galaxies and quiescent galaxies together will dominate the EGB and leave little room for other contributions. If other sources, such as blazars, are found to have important contributions to the EGB, then either the gas mass or cosmic-ray content of quiescent galaxies must be significantly lower than in their star-forming counterparts. In any case, improved Fermi EGB measurements will provide important constraints on hot gas and cosmic rays in quiescent galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) theory, together with the precise WMAP cosmic baryon density, makes tight predictions for the abundances of the lightest elements. Deuterium and 4He measurements agree well with expectations, but 7Li observations lie below the BBN++WMAP prediction by a factor of three to four. This 4-5- σ mismatch constitutes the so-called cosmic lithium problem; disparate solutions are possible. First, astrophysical systematics in the observations could exist but are increasingly constrained. Second, nuclear physics experiments provide a wealth of well-measured cross-section data, but 7Be destruction could be enhanced by unknown or poorly measured resonances. Third, physics beyond the Standard Model could alter the 7Li abundance, although deuterium and 4He must remain unperturbed. In this review, we discuss such scenarios, highlighting decaying supersymmetric particles and time-varying fundamental constants. Present and planned experiments could reveal which (if any) of these proposed solutions is correct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pion decay gamma rays have long been recognized as a unique signature of hadronic cosmic rays and their interactions with the interstellar medium. We present a model-independent way of constraining this signal with observations of the Galactic Plane in diffuse gamma rays. We combine detections by the EGRET instrument at GeV energies and the Milagro Čerenkov detector at TeV energies with upper limits from KASCADE and CASA-MIA ground arrays at PeV energies. Such a long “lever arm”, spanning at least six orders of magnitude in energy, reveals a “TeV excess” in the diffuse Galactic Plane gamma-ray spectrum. While the origin of this excess is unknown, it likely implies also enhanced TeV neutrino fluxes, significantly improving the prospects for their detection. We show that unresolved point sources are a possible source of the TeV excess. In fact, the spectra of the unidentified EGRET sources in the Milagro region must break between ∼10GeV and ∼1TeV to avoid strongly overshooting the Milagro measurement; this may have important implications for cosmic-ray acceleration. Finally, we use our approach to examine the recent suggestion that dark-matter annihilation may account for the observed excess in diffuse Galactic gamma-rays detected by EGRET at energies above 1GeV. Within our model-independent approach, current data cannot rule this possibility in or out; however we point out how a long “lever arm” can be used to constrain the pionic gamma-ray component and in turn limit the “GeV excess” and its possible sources. Experiments such as HESS and MAGIC, and the upcoming VERITAS and GLAST, should be able to finally disentangle the main sources of the Galactic gamma rays. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present an overview of the standard model of big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), which describes the production of the light elements in the early universe. The theoretical prediction for the abundances of D, 3He, 4He, and 7Li is discussed. We emphasize the role of key nuclear reactions and the methods by which experimental cross section uncertainties are propagated into uncertainties in the predicted abundances. The observational determination of the light nuclides is also discussed. Particular attention is given to the comparison between the predicted and observed abundances, which yields a measurement of the cosmic baryon content. The spectrum of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) now independently measures the baryon density to high precision; we show how the CMB data test BBN, and find that the CMB and the D and 4He observations paint a consistent picture. This concordance stands as a major success of the hot big bang. On the other hand, 7Li remains discrepant with the CMB-preferred baryon density; possible explanations are reviewed. Finally, moving beyond the standard model, primordial nucleosynthesis constraints on early universe and particle physics are also briefly discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cosmic-ray (CR) reactions with the interstellar gas produce both Li (predominantly via ) and γ-rays (via ). We establish the link between them analytically, then apply it to constrain both galactic CR nucleosynthesis as well as extragalactic γ-ray production. We exploit the extragalactic γ-ray spectrum to place constraints on the hadronic production by cosmic rays, and then use the connection to place upper limits on the production of non-primordial Li via cosmic rays accelerated in the shocks arising from cosmological structure formation. Turning the problem around, we use observations of the Galactic Li both in the Solar System and in the ancient halo stars, to constraint the contribution of the galactic cosmic rays to the diffuse extragalactic γ-ray background. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A recent analysis of the 4He abundance determined from observations of extragalactic HII regions indicates a significantly greater uncertainty for the 4He mass fraction. Furthermore, due to a different treatment of systematic effects such as underlying stellar absorption, the derived value of the 4He abundance is slightly higher. As a result, the predicted value of the primordial 4He abundance is now in line with calculations from big bang nucleosynthesis when the baryon density determined by WMAP is assumed. Analysis based on prior estimates of the 4He abundance will necessarily lead to constraints which are overly restrictive. Based on this new analysis of 4He, we derive constraints on a host of particle properties which include: limits on the number of relativistic species at the time of BBN (commonly taken to be the limit on neutrino flavors), limits on the variations of fundamental couplings such as α em and G N , and limits on decaying particles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Diffuse γ-rays probe the highest-energy processes at the largest scales. Here we derive model-independent constraints on the hadronic contribution to the Galactic and extragalactic γ-ray spectra at in the energy range 50 MeV⪝Eγ⪝10 GeV. The hadronic component is dominated by emission from neutral pions, with a characteristic spectrum symmetric about mπ0/2. We exploit the well-defined properties of the pion decay spectrum to quantify the maximum pionic fraction of the observed γ-ray intensity. We find that the Galactic spectrum above 30 MeV can be atmost about 50% pionic. The maximum pionic contribution to the extragalactic spectrum is energy dependent; it also depends on the redshift range over which the sources are distributed, ranging from as low as about 20% for pions generated very recently, to as much as 90% if the pions are generated around redshift 10. The implications of these constraints for models of γ-ray and neutrino emission are briefly discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nearby (≲1 kpc) supernovae were almost certainly common in earth’s geological history. Such events allow the direct study of their freshly synthesized live radioisotopes, opening new windows onto supernovae. Very close supernovae (within a few tens of pc) may deposit radioisotopes directly on the earth. Recent high-sensitivity accelerator mass spectrometry measurements of deep-ocean samples find live 60Fe at levels that greatly exceed background, suggesting an explosion occurred within 30 pc during the last 5 Myr. Somewhat more distant – but also more frequent – supernovae leave observable signatures of radioisotopes whose decay includes γ-ray line emission. In particular, a large, old supernova remnant was recently discovered at ∼100 pc, and appears to contain 26Al. If confirmed, this would be the first detection of 26Al in a single remnant, and would be a new probe of supernova nucleosynthesis and astrophysics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Big bang nucleosynthesis has long provided the primary determination of the cosmic baryon density ΩBh2, or equivalently the baryon-to-photon ratio, η. Recently, data on CMB anisotropies have become increasingly sensitive to η. The comparison of these two independent measures provides a key test for big bang cosmology. The first release of results from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) marks a milestone in this test. With the precision of WMAP, the CMB now offers a significantly stronger constraint on η. We discuss the current state of BBN theory and light element observations (including their possible lingering systematic errors). The resulting BBN baryon density prediction is in overall agreement with the WMAP prediction, an important and non-trivial confirmation of hot big bang cosmology. Going beyond this, the powerful CMB baryometer can be used as an input to BBN and one can accurately predict the primordial light element abundances. By comparing these with observations one can obtain new insight into post-BBN nucleosynthesis processes and associated astrophysics. Finally, one can test the possibility of nonstandard physics at the time of BBN, now with all light elements available as probes. Indeed, with the WMAP precision η, deuterium is already beginning to rival 4He''s sensitivity to nonstandard physics, and additional D/H measurements can improve this further. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cosmic microwave background (CMB) determinations of the baryon-to-photon ratio η∝Ωbaryonh2 will remove the last free parameter from (standard) big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) calculations. This will make BBN a much sharper probe of early universe physics, for example, greatly refining the BBN measurement of the effective number of light neutrino species, Nν,eff. We show how the CMB can improve this limit, given current light element data. Moreover, it will become possible to constrain Nν,eff independent of 4He, by using other elements, notably deuterium; this will allow for sharper limits and tests of systematics. For example, a 3% measurement of η, together with a 10% (3%) measurement of primordial D/H, can measure Nν,eff to a 95% confidence level of σ95%(Nν,eff)=1.8 (1.0) if η∼6.0×10−10. If instead, one adopts the standard model value Nν,eff=3, then one can use η (and its uncertainty) from the CMB to make accurate predictions for the primordial abundances. These determinations can in turn become key inputs in the nucleosynthesis history (chemical evolution) of galaxies thereby placing constraints on such models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recent studies have shown that live (not decayed) radioactive 60Fe is present in deep-ocean samples, Antarctic snow, lunar regolith, and cosmic rays. 60Fe represents supernova (SN) ejecta deposited in the Solar system around |$3 \, \rm Myr$| ago, and recently an earlier pulse |${\approx}7 \ \rm Myr$| ago has been found. These data point to one or multiple near-Earth SN explosions that presumably participated in the formation of the Local Bubble. We explore this theory using 3D high-resolution smooth-particle hydrodynamical simulations of isolated SNe with ejecta tracers in a uniform interstellar medium (ISM). The simulation allows us to trace the SN ejecta in gas form and those eject in dust grains that are entrained with the gas. We consider two cases of diffused ejecta: when the ejecta are well-mixed in the shock and when they are not. In the latter case, we find that these ejecta remain far behind the forward shock, limiting the distance to which entrained ejecta can be delivered to ≈100 pc in an ISM with |$n_\mathrm{H}=0.1\,\, \rm cm^{-3}$| mean hydrogen density. We show that the intensity and the duration of 60Fe accretion depend on the ISM density and the trajectory of the Solar system. Furthermore, we show the possibility of reproducing the two observed peaks in 60Fe concentration with this model by assuming two linear trajectories for the Solar system with 30-km s−1 velocity. The fact that we can reproduce the two observed peaks further supports the theory that the 60Fe signal was originated from near-Earth SNe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Milky Way hosts on average a few supernova explosions per century, yet in the past millennium only five supernovae have been identified confidently in the historical record. This deficit of naked-eye supernovae is at least partly due to dust extinction in the Galactic plane. We explore this effect quantitatively, developing a formalism for the supernova probability distribution in space and on the sky, accounting for dust and for the observer's flux limit. We then construct a fiducial axisymmetric model for the spatial supernova and dust densities, featuring an exponential dependence on galactocentric radius and height, with core-collapse events in a thin disc and Type Ia events including a thick disc component. When no flux limit is applied, our model predicts that on the sky, supernovae are intrinsically concentrated in the Galactic plane, with Type Ia events extending to higher latitudes. We then apply a flux limit and include dust effects, to predict the sky distribution of historical supernovae. We use well-observed supernovae as light-curve templates, and introduce naked-eye discovery criteria. The resulting sky distributions are strikingly inconsistent with the locations of confident historical supernovae, none of which lie near our model's central peaks. Indeed, SN 1054 lies off the plane almost exactly in the anticentre, and SN 1181 is in the second Galactic quadrant. We discuss possible explanations for these discrepancies. We calculate the percentage of all supernovae bright enough for historical discovery: |$\simeq 13{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of core-collapse and |$\simeq 33{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of Type Ia events. Using these and the confident historical supernovae, we estimate the intrinsic Galactic supernova rates, finding general agreement with other methods. Finally, we urge searches for supernovae in historical records from civilizations in the Southern hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are rapid neutron-capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis sites that expel matter at high velocities, from 0.1c to as high as 0.6c. Nuclei ejected at these speeds are sufficiently energetic to initiate spallation nuclear reactions with interstellar medium (ISM) particles. We adopt a thick-target model for the propagation of high-speed heavy nuclei in the ISM, similar to the transport of cosmic rays. We find that spallation may create observable perturbations to NSM isotopic abundances, particularly around the low-mass edges of the r-process peaks where neighboring nuclei have very different abundances. The extent to which spallation modifies the final NSM isotopic yields depends on: (1) the ejected abundances, which are determined by the NSM astrophysical conditions and the properties of nuclei far from stability, (2) the ejecta velocity distribution and propagation in interstellar matter, and (3) the spallation cross sections. Observed solar and stellar r-process yields could thus constrain the velocity distribution of ejected neutron star matter, assuming NSMs are the dominant r-process source. We suggest avenues for future work, including measurement of relevant cross sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

244Pu has recently been discovered in deep-sea deposits spanning the past 10 Myr, a period that includes two 60Fe pulses from nearby supernovae. 244Pu is among the heaviest r -process products, and we consider whether it was created in supernovae, which is disfavored by nucleosynthesis simulations, or in an earlier kilonova event that seeded the nearby interstellar medium with 244Pu that was subsequently swept up by the supernova debris. We discuss how these possibilities can be probed by measuring 244Pu and other r -process radioisotopes such as 129I and 182Hf, both in lunar regolith samples returned to Earth by missions such as Chang'e and Artemis, and in deep-sea deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) methods in measuring baryon density. Significance of high-precision data in the accounting of matter and energy; Background of BBN and CMB; Comparison between CMB and BBN measurements.

We consider the production and deposition on Earth of isotopes with half-lives in the range 105-108 yr that might provide signatures of nearby stellar explosions, extending previous analyses of Core-Collapse Supernovae (CCSNe) to include Electron-Capture Supernovae (ECSNe), Super-Asymptotic Giant Branch (SAGB) stars, Thermonuclear/Type Ia Supernovae (TNSNe), and Kilonovae/Neutron Star Mergers (KNe). We revisit previous estimates of the 60Fe and 26Al signatures, and extend these estimates to include 244Pu and 53Mn. We discuss interpretations of the 60Fe signals in terrestrial and lunar reservoirs in terms of a nearby stellar ejection ∼2.2 Myr ago, showing that (1) the 60Fe yield rules out the TNSN and KN interpretations, (2) the 60Fe signals highly constrain SAGB interpretations but do not completely them rule out, (3) are consistent with a CCSN origin, and (4) are highly compatible with an ECSN interpretation. Future measurements could resolve the radioisotope deposition over time, and we use the Sedov blast wave solution to illustrate possible time-resolved profiles. Measuring such profiles would independently probe the blast properties including distance, and would provide additional constraints for the nature of the explosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new method to measure or constrain p-wave-suppressed cross sections for dark matter (DM) annihilations inside the steep density spikes induced by supermassive black holes. We demonstrate that the high DM densities, together with the increased velocity dispersion, within such spikes combine to make thermal p-wave annihilation cross sections potentially visible in γ-ray observations of the Galactic center (GC). The resulting DM signal is a bright central point source with emission originating from DM annihilations in the absence of a detectable spatially extended signal from the halo. We define two simple reference theories of DM with a thermal p-wave annihilation cross section and establish new limits on the combined particle and astrophysical parameter space of these models, demonstrating that Fermi Large Area Telescope is currently sensitive to thermal p-wave DM over a wide range of possible scenarios for the DM distribution in the GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio properties of supernova outbursts remain poorly understood despite longstanding campaigns following events discovered at other wavelengths. After ~30 years of observations, only ~50 supernovae have been detected at radio wavelengths, none of which are Type Ia. Even the most radio-loud events are ~104 fainter in the radio than in the optical; to date, such intrinsically dim objects have only been visible in the very local universe. The detection and study of radio supernovae (RSNe) will be fundamentally altered and dramatically improved as the next generation of radio telescopes comes online, including EVLA, ASKAP, and MeerKAT, and culminating in the Square Kilometer Array (SKA); the latter should be ≳50 times more sensitive than present facilities. SKA can repeatedly scan large (≳1 deg²) areas of the sky, and thus will discover RSNe and other transient sources in a new, automatic, untargeted, and unbiased way. We estimate that SKA will be able to detect core-collapse RSNe out to redshift z ~ 5, with an all-redshift rate of ~620 events yr-1 deg-2, assuming a survey sensitivity of 50 nJy and radio light curves like those of SN 1993J. Hence, SKA should provide a complete core-collapse RSN sample that is sufficient for statistical studies of radio properties of core-collapse supernovae. EVLA should find ~160 events yr-1 deg-2 out to redshift z ~ 3, and other SKA precursors should have similar detection rates. We also provided recommendations of the survey strategy to maximize the RSN detections of SKA. This new radio core-collapse supernova sample will complement the detections from the optical searches, such as the LSST, and together provide crucial information on massive star evolution, supernova physics, and the circumstellar medium, out to high redshift. Additionally, SKA may yield the first radio Type Ia detection via follow-up of nearby events discovered at other wavelengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have conducted Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy observations of LiH, in absorption, toward three quasars. These quasars. B0218+357, PKS1830-211, and PKS0201 + 113, have redshifts of z = 0.685 - 3.387, and shift the LiH J = 1-0 transition to the 1 mm and 3 mm wavelength bands, where atmospheric absorption is sharply reduced from that predominating near the rest frequency of 443 GHz. We report a 3a detection of LiH toward B0218+357 with a column density of 1.4 x 1012 cm-2 and place an upper limit on the 6Li / 7Li ratio of <0.16. LiH was not detected toward any other source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Galaxy evolves, the abundance of deuterium in the interstellar medium (ISM) decreases from its primordial value: deuterium is ‘astrated’. The deuterium astration factor fD, the ratio of the primordial D abundance (the D to H ratio by number) to the ISM D abundance, is determined by the competition between stellar destruction and infall, providing a constraint on models of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. Although conventional wisdom suggests that the local ISM (i.e. within ∼1–2 kpc of the Sun) should be well mixed and homogenized on time-scales short compared to the chemical evolution time-scale, the data reveal gas-phase variations in the deuterium, iron and other metal abundances as large as factors of ∼4–5 or more, complicating the estimate of the ‘true’ ISM D abundance and of the deuterium astration factor. Here, assuming that the variations in the observationally inferred ISM D abundances result entirely from the depletion of D on to dust, rather than from unmixed accretion of nearly primordial material, a model-independent, Bayesian approach is used to determine the undepleted abundance of deuterium in the ISM (or a lower limit to it). We find the best estimate for the undepleted, ISM deuterium abundance to be . This result is used to provide an estimate of (or an upper bound to) the deuterium astration factor, . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A future large-volume liquid scintillator detector would provide a high-statistics measurement of terrestrial antineutrinos originating from β-decays of the uranium and thorium chains. In addition, the forward displacement of the neutron in the detection reaction provides directional information. We investigate the requirements on such detectors to distinguish between certain geophysical models on the basis of the angular dependence of the geoneutrino flux. Our analysis is based on a Monte-Carlo simulation with different levels of light yield, considering both unloaded and gadolinium-loaded scintillators. We find that a 50kt detector such as the proposed LENA (Low Energy Neutrino Astronomy) will detect deviations from isotropy of the geoneutrino flux significantly. However, with an unloaded scintillator the time needed for a useful discrimination between different geophysical models is too large if one uses the directional information alone. A Gd-loaded scintillator improves the situation considerably, although a 50kt detector would still need several decades to distinguish between a geophysical reference model and one with a large neutrino source in the Earth’s core. However, a high-statistics measurement of the total geoneutrino flux and its spectrum still provides an extremely useful glance at the Earth’s interior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The primordial abundances of light elements produced in the standard theory of Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) depend only on the cosmic ratio of baryons to photons, a quantity inferred from observations of the microwave background. The predicted primordial 7Li abundance is four times that measured in the atmospheres of Galactic halo stars. This discrepancy could be caused by modification of surface lithium abundances during the stars' lifetimes or by physics beyond the Standard Model that affects early nucleosynthesis. The lithium abundance of low-metallicity gas provides an alternative constraint on the primordial abundance and cosmic evolution of lithium that is not susceptible to the in situ modifications that may affect stellar atmospheres. Here we report observations of interstellar 7Li in the low-metallicity gas of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy with a quarter the Sun's metallicity. The present-day 7Li abundance of the Small Magellanic Cloud is nearly equal to the BBN predictions, severely constraining the amount of possible subsequent enrichment of the gas by stellar and cosmic-ray nucleosynthesis. Our measurements can be reconciled with standard BBN with an extremely fine-tuned depletion of stellar Li with metallicity. They are also consistent with non-standard BBN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This white paper informs the nuclear astrophysics community and funding agencies about the scientific directions and priorities of the field and provides input from this community for the 2015 Nuclear Science Long Range Plan. It summarizes the outcome of the nuclear astrophysics town meeting that was held on August 21–23, 2014 in College Station at the campus of Texas A&M University in preparation of the NSAC Nuclear Science Long Range Plan. It also reflects the outcome of an earlier town meeting of the nuclear astrophysics community organized by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA) on October 9–10, 2012 Detroit, Michigan, with the purpose of developing a vision for nuclear astrophysics in light of the recent NRC decadal surveys in nuclear physics (NP2010) and astronomy (ASTRO2010). The white paper is furthermore informed by the town meeting of the Association of Research at University Nuclear Accelerators (ARUNA) that took place at the University of Notre Dame on June 12–13, 2014. In summary we find that nuclear astrophysics is a modern and vibrant field addressing fundamental science questions at the intersection of nuclear physics and astrophysics. These questions relate to the origin of the elements, the nuclear engines that drive life and death of stars, and the properties of dense matter. A broad range of nuclear accelerator facilities, astronomical observatories, theory efforts, and computational capabilities are needed. With the developments outlined in this white paper, answers to long standing key questions are well within reach in the coming decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the effect of an early population of intermediate-mass stars in the 2-8 M range on the cosmic chemical evolution. We discuss the implications of this population as it pertains to several cosmological and astrophysical observables. For example, some very metal poor Galactic stars show large enhancements of carbon, typical of the C-rich ejecta of intermediate-mass stars; moreover, halo star carbon and oxygen abundances show wide scatter, which imply a wide range of star formation and nucleosynthetic histories contributed to the first generations of stars. Also, recent analyses of the abundance in metal-poor extragalactic H regions suggest an elevated abundance by mass, higher than the predicted result from the big bang nucleosynthesis, assuming the baryon density determined by the WMAP, . Although there are large uncertainties in the observational determination of , this offset may suggest a prompt initial enrichment of in early metal-poor structures. We also discuss the effect of intermediate-mass stars on the global cosmic evolution, the reionization of the Universe, the density of white dwarfs, as well as Type II supernovae (SN II) and SN Ia rates at high redshift. We also comment on the early astration of D and . We conclude that if intermediate-mass stars are to be associated with Population III stars, their relevance is limited (primarily from observed abundance patterns) to low-mass structures involving a limited fraction of the total baryon content of the Universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large majority of EGRET point sources remain to this day without an identified low-energy counterpart. Whatever the nature of the EGRET unidentified sources, faint unresolved objects of the same class must have a contribution to the diffuse gamma-ray background: if most unidentified objects are extragalactic, faint unresolved sources of the same class contribute to the background, as a distinct extragalactic population; on the other hand, if most unidentified sources are Galactic, their counterparts in external galaxies will contribute to the unresolved emission from these systems. Understanding this component of the gamma-ray background, along with other guaranteed contributions from known sources, is essential in any attempt to use gamma-ray observations to constrain exotic high-energy physics. Here, we follow an empirical approach to estimate whether a potential contribution of unidentified sources to the extragalactic gamma-ray background is likely to be important, and we find that it is. Additionally, we comment on how the anticipated GLAST measurement of the diffuse gamma-ray background will change, depending on the nature of the majority of these sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third EGRET catalog contains a large number of unidentified sources. This subset of objects is expected to include known gamma-ray emitters of Galactic origin such as pulsars and supernova remnants, in addition to an extragalactic population of blazars. However, current data allows the intriguing possibility that some of these objects may represent a new class of yet undiscovered gamma-ray sources. Many theoretically motivated candidate emitters (e.g. clumps of annihilating dark matter particles) have been suggested to account for these detections. We take a new approach to determine to what extent this population is Galactic and to investigate the nature of the possible Galactic component. By assuming that galaxies similar to the Milky Way should host comparable populations of objects, we constrain the allowed Galactic abundance and distribution of various classes of gamma-ray sources using the EGRET data set. We find it is highly improbable that a large number of the unidentified sources are members of a Galactic halo population, but that a distribution of the sources entirely in the disk and bulge is plausible. Finally, we discuss the additional constraints and new insights that GLAST will provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]