Noble gas isotopic composition as a key reference parameter in a planetary atmospheric evolution model

The isotopic composition of noble gases is a key reference parameter in discussing the evolution of planetary atmospheres. Currently, two widely occurring noble gas components are identified in the early solar system, one is the Solar Wind noble gas (SW-noble gas, hereafter) and another is the Q-noble gas in unaltered meteorites: both noble gases are characterized by their ubiquitous occurrence and high isotopic homogeneity. Since the SW-noble gas is directly ejected from the Sun, it has been assumed to be a good proxy of the average noble gas isotopic composition in the Sun, namely the solar noble gas. The systematic enrichment of the heavier isotopes in the Q-noble gas relative to the SW-noble gas is then commonly attributed to its isotopic fractionation from the SW-noble gas. However, the isotopic compositions of the SW-noble gas either implanted on lunar soils or trapped by artificial targets show considerable isotopic variation depending on the velocity of the Solar Wind. Therefore, it is important to examine how closely the SW-noble gas represents the indigenous solar noble gas component or the mean isotopic composition of noble gases of the Sun. Here we show that the isotopic composition of the SW-noble gas is substantially fractionated relative to the solar value, and therefore should not be used as a reference parameter. We further suggest that the post D-burning Q-noble gas (see below) is the better proxy of the solar noble gas, and this should be used as a reference of the Solar noble gas isotopic composition in discussing the planetary atmospheric evolution. The most distinct difference between the Q- and the SW-noble gas is apparent in a 3He/4He isotopic ratio: 4.64e-4 in Q-He [1], but 1.23e-4 in SW-He[2]. The difference is attributed to the conversion of deuteron (D) to 3He in the Sun, namely the D-burning [3], due to high temperature during the pre-main sequence stage of the Sun. With the use of recent data on D/H ratios from helio-seismology [4] and spectroscopic observation of the inter-stellar cloud [5], we estimated that the 3He/4He ratio in the post D-burning He in the Sun is 3.98e-4. The latter value is considerably smaller than the recent estimate of the SW-He ratio by the GENESIS mission of 3He/4He = 4.64e-4 [2]. We conclude that this difference is due to isotopic fractionation during the ejection of the Solar Wind from the solar atmosphere. The further interesting implication of this conclusion is that the marked difference in 3He/4He between the SW- and Q-noble gases can be used as an unique chronological marker in the planetary atmospheric evolution. [1] Busemann H. et al., Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 35, 949-973, 2000. [2] Heber V. et al. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 73, 7414-7432, 2009. [3] Geiss J. and Reeve H. Astronomy Astrophysics, 18, 126-132, 1972. [4] Basu S. and Antia H.M. Astrophysical J. , 606:L85-L88, 2004. [5] Linsky J.L. et al. Astrophysical J., 647:1106-1124, 2006.