Nitrogen isotopes in the recent solar wind: Further analysis of gold-plated concentrator frame from Genesis

Abstract

Nitrogen, the fifth most abundant element in the universe, displays the largest (after H) stable isotope variations in the solar system materials (excluding pre-solar grains). Recently several studies concluded that protosolar nebula N was depleted by ~400‰, from (i) the combined ion probe analysis of H and N isotopes in lunar soil grains (δ^(15)N ≤240‰, [1]), (ii) the analysis of the Jupiter atmosphere by either infrared spectroscopy [2] or in situ by the Galileo probe [3] and (iii) δ^(15)N of 400‰ for osbornite (TiN) embedded in a CAI [4]. The Genesis mission sampled solar wind ions during 27 months in space by passive implantation of SW ions in targets made of pure material. Despite a hard landing of the sample capsule, target material could be recovered and analyzed.

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