Nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies and their cosmochemical significance

Abstract

Unlike most terrestrial rocks, some meteorites and their mineral components show isotope compositions that are clearly associated with nucleosynthetic processes in stars other than the Sun. Although isotope anomalies of nucleosynthetic origin have been an active research area of isotope cosmochemistry for the past few decades, only recently have planetary-scale isotope anomalies been discovered and confirmed for elements other than the noble gases. The discovery of isotope anomalies of nucleosynthetic origin, especially at the planetary scale, provides new constraints on the evolution of the young Solar System. They are the most direct evidence for tracing the origin of extraterrestrial samples, understanding their genetic relationships, and deciphering the stellar environment of Solar System formation. In this paper, we review the progress that has been made in the field of nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies and their cosmochemical significance.