ESA Science & Technology - Radioactive 26Al from the Scorpius-Centaurus association

Publication date: 01 November 2010

Authors: Diehl, R., et al.

Journal: Astronomy & Astrophysics
Volume: 522
Page: A51
Year: 2010

Copyright: ESO

Context. The Scorpius-Centaurus association is the most-nearby group of massive and young stars. As nuclear-fusion products are ejected by massive stars and supernovae into the surrounding interstellar medium, the search for characteristic g-rays from radioactivity is one way to probe the history of activity of such nearby massive stars on a My time scale through their nucleosynthesis. ²⁶Al decays with a radioactivity lifetime t~1 My, 1809 keV g-rays from its decay can be measured with current g-ray telescopes.