title: A 15N-poor isotopic composition for the solar system as shown by Genesis solar wind samples.
abstract: The Genesis mission sampled solar wind ions to document the elemental and isotopic compositions of the Sun and, by inference, of the protosolar nebula. Nitrogen was a key target element because the extent and origin of its isotopic variations in solar system materials remain unknown. Isotopic analysis of a Genesis Solar Wind Concentrator target material shows that implanted solar wind nitrogen has a (15)N/(14)N ratio of 2.18 ± 0.02 × 10(-3) (that is, ≈40% poorer in (15)N relative to terrestrial atmosphere). The (15)N/(14)N ratio of the protosolar nebula was 2.27 ± 0.03 × 10(-3), which is the lowest (15)N/(14)N ratio known for solar system objects. This result demonstrates the extreme nitrogen isotopic heterogeneity of the nascent solar system and accounts for the (15)N-depleted components observed in solar system reservoirs.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques (CRPG), Nancy Université, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France. bmarty@crpg.cnrs-nancy.fr
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marty
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chaussidon
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wiens
authors.forename: A J G
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Jurewicz
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Burnett