We report the discovery of five SiC grains and one graphite grain isolated from the Murchison carbonaceous meteorite whose major-element isotopic compositions indicate an origin in nova explosions. The grains are characterized by low 12C/13C (4-9) and 14N/15N (5-20) ratios, large excesses in 30Si (30Si/28Si ratios range to 2.1 times solar) and high 26Al/27Al ratios. These isotopic signatures are theoretically predicted for the ejecta from ONe novae and cannot be matched by any other stellar sources. Previous studies of presolar grains from primitive meteorites have shown that the vast majority formed in red giant outflows and supernova ejecta. Although a classical nova origin was suggested for a few presolar graphite grains on the basis of 22Ne enrichments, this identification is somewhat ambiguous since it is based only on one trace element. Our present study presents the first evidence for nova grains on the basis of major element isotopic compositions of single grains. We also present the results of nucleosynthetic calculations of classical nova models and compare the predicted isotopic ratios with those of the grains. The comparison points toward massive ONe novae if the ejecta are mixed with material of close-to-solar composition.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. ApJ, in pres
We report Li and B isotopic compositions of 10 Spinel-HIBonite spherules (SHIBs) separated from the Murchison meteorite, in order to understand their irradiation history in the early Solar System. The extremely low Be concentrations in SHIBs preclude detection of extinct 10 Be, but instead allow for a search of the original Li and B isotopic ratios of the grains, as these isotopes are sensitive indicators for irradiation. We found that some of the SHIBs carried sub-chondritic 7 Li/ 6 Li and supra-chondritic 10 B/ 11 B ratios. Considering two possible irradiation scenarios that * Speaker.
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