Life in the Bubble: How a Nearby Supernova Left Ephemeral Footprints on the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum and Indelible Imprints on Life
The Earth sits inside a 300 pc-wide void that was carved by a series of supernova explosions that went off tens of millions of years ago, pushing away interstellar gas and creating a bubble-like structure. The ^60 Fe peak deposits found in the deep-sea crust have been interpreted by the imprints lef...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada27a |
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| author | Caitlyn Nojiri Noémie Globus Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz |
| author_facet | Caitlyn Nojiri Noémie Globus Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz |
| author_sort | Caitlyn Nojiri |
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| description | The Earth sits inside a 300 pc-wide void that was carved by a series of supernova explosions that went off tens of millions of years ago, pushing away interstellar gas and creating a bubble-like structure. The ^60 Fe peak deposits found in the deep-sea crust have been interpreted by the imprints left by the ejecta of supernova explosions occurring about 2–3 and 5–6 Myr ago. It is likely that the ^60 Fe peak at about 2–3 Myr originated from a supernova occurring in the Upper Centaurus Lupus association in Scorpius Centaurus (≈140 pc) or the Tucana-Horologium association (≈70 pc), whereas the ≈5–6 Myr peak is likely attributed to the solar system's entrance into the bubble. In this Letter, we show that the supernova source responsible for synthesizing the ^60 Fe peak deposits ≈2–3 Myr ago can consistently explain the cosmic-ray spectrum and the large-scale anisotropy between 100 TeV and 100 PeV. The cosmic-ray knee could then potentially be attributed entirely to a single nearby “PeVatron” source. Matching the intensity and shape of the cosmic-ray spectrum allows us to place stringent constraints on the cosmic-ray energy content from the supernova as well as on the cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient. Making use of such constraints, we provide a robust estimate of the temporal variation of terrestrial ionizing cosmic radiation levels and discuss their implications in the development of early life on Earth by plausibly influencing the mutation rate and, as such, conceivably assisting in the evolution of complex organisms. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-b752b7a5e6334b5380d1ed86d2212b752025-01-18T04:41:06ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052025-01-019791L1810.3847/2041-8213/ada27aLife in the Bubble: How a Nearby Supernova Left Ephemeral Footprints on the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum and Indelible Imprints on LifeCaitlyn Nojiri0https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3527-998XNoémie Globus1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9011-0737Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2558-3102Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USADepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA; Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Astrophysical Big Bang Laboratory , RIKEN, Wako, Saitama, JapanDepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California , Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USAThe Earth sits inside a 300 pc-wide void that was carved by a series of supernova explosions that went off tens of millions of years ago, pushing away interstellar gas and creating a bubble-like structure. The ^60 Fe peak deposits found in the deep-sea crust have been interpreted by the imprints left by the ejecta of supernova explosions occurring about 2–3 and 5–6 Myr ago. It is likely that the ^60 Fe peak at about 2–3 Myr originated from a supernova occurring in the Upper Centaurus Lupus association in Scorpius Centaurus (≈140 pc) or the Tucana-Horologium association (≈70 pc), whereas the ≈5–6 Myr peak is likely attributed to the solar system's entrance into the bubble. In this Letter, we show that the supernova source responsible for synthesizing the ^60 Fe peak deposits ≈2–3 Myr ago can consistently explain the cosmic-ray spectrum and the large-scale anisotropy between 100 TeV and 100 PeV. The cosmic-ray knee could then potentially be attributed entirely to a single nearby “PeVatron” source. Matching the intensity and shape of the cosmic-ray spectrum allows us to place stringent constraints on the cosmic-ray energy content from the supernova as well as on the cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient. Making use of such constraints, we provide a robust estimate of the temporal variation of terrestrial ionizing cosmic radiation levels and discuss their implications in the development of early life on Earth by plausibly influencing the mutation rate and, as such, conceivably assisting in the evolution of complex organisms.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada27aHigh-energy cosmic radiationSuperbubblesCosmic raysAstrobiologySupernovaeEjecta |
| spellingShingle | Caitlyn Nojiri Noémie Globus Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz Life in the Bubble: How a Nearby Supernova Left Ephemeral Footprints on the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum and Indelible Imprints on Life The Astrophysical Journal Letters High-energy cosmic radiation Superbubbles Cosmic rays Astrobiology Supernovae Ejecta |
| title | Life in the Bubble: How a Nearby Supernova Left Ephemeral Footprints on the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum and Indelible Imprints on Life |
| title_full | Life in the Bubble: How a Nearby Supernova Left Ephemeral Footprints on the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum and Indelible Imprints on Life |
| title_fullStr | Life in the Bubble: How a Nearby Supernova Left Ephemeral Footprints on the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum and Indelible Imprints on Life |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life in the Bubble: How a Nearby Supernova Left Ephemeral Footprints on the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum and Indelible Imprints on Life |
| title_short | Life in the Bubble: How a Nearby Supernova Left Ephemeral Footprints on the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum and Indelible Imprints on Life |
| title_sort | life in the bubble how a nearby supernova left ephemeral footprints on the cosmic ray spectrum and indelible imprints on life |
| topic | High-energy cosmic radiation Superbubbles Cosmic rays Astrobiology Supernovae Ejecta |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ada27a |
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