History of individual presolar SiC grains revealed by stellar winds

YURIMOTO Hisayoshi BAJO Ken-ichi

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

Oct. 21, 2025

こと座環状星雲M57においてSiC星間粒子が惑星状星雲中心星の恒星風を受けているポンチ絵。本研究では、本ポンチ絵のような場所で恒星風を受けた太陽系形成以前のSiC粒子が見つかった。図中のSiC粒子の実際の大きさは約3 µmである。環状星雲M57画像のクレジット：ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson

Press release (in Japanese)

Abstract
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, which are evolved low- to intermediate-mass stars, rank among the most prolific producers of interstellar dust in the Galaxy. Presolar silicon carbide (SiC) grains in meteorites are mainly produced by AGB stars. These presolar grains contain abundant noble gases, believed to have been implanted by stellar winds from the central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNe). Here we report 3-D maps of the helium distribution in individual presolar SiC grains. The maps reveal….

Read the original article on Nature Communications

Article inforamation
Ken-ichi Bajo, Tatsuki Izumi, Yuta Otsuki, Sachiko Amari & Hisayoshi Yurimoto, History of individual presolar SiC grains revealed by stellar winds, Nature Communications, 16, 8976 (2025)
DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-64216-1