Nucleosynthetic Activity of WR Stars: Implications for 26Al in the Galaxy and Isotopic Anomalies in Cosmic Rays and the Early Solar System

Abstract

The implications of the nucleosynthetic activity of WR stars are reassessed, in view of recent experimental and observational data. It is confirmed that WR stars may 1) contribute significantly (up to ~20%) to the ~3 M⊙ of 26Al detected in the galactic plane through its 1.8 MeV line, 2) be responsible for the isotopic anomalies of 22Ne and 25,26Mg, detected in galactic cosmic rays (GCR), and 3) be responsible for the inferred presence of 26Al and 107Pd in the early solar system (and, perhaps, some other nuclei as well).