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Dr. Gregory Brennecka

Profile

Academic positionLecturer, Assistant Professor, Researcher
Research fieldsGeochemistry (Inorganic, Organic, Biological),Astronomy
Keywordsradionuclides, nucleosynthesis, nebula, supernovae, formation of the Solar System

Current contact address

CountryUnited States of America
CityLivermore
InstitutionLawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Host during sponsorship

Prof. Dr. Thorsten KleineInstitut für Planetologie, Universität Münster, Münster
Start of initial sponsorship01/11/2014

Programme(s)

2014Sofja Kovalevskaja Award Programme

Nominator's project description

Understanding the origin of our solar system, the only planetary system known to harbor life, is a central question of mankind. Dr. Brennecka addresses this question through analyzing Calcium-Aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs), the oldest solar system solids preserved in primitive meteorites. During his doctoral studies at Arizona State University, Dr. Brennecka developed a new method for precisely dating these inclusions; as a postdoc at Livermore, he found that the isotopic composition of CAIs is different from that of any other solar system material, showing that shortly after its formation, the solar system was polluted by material from a nearby supernova. Dr. Brennecka now will search for evidence in CAIs for the occurrence of supernovae immediately before solar system formation. This work will either prove or disprove the long-held assumption that solar system formation was triggered by a nearby supernova and, as such, will address the fundamental question of our very beginning.

Publications (partial selection)

2020Q.R. Shollenberger and G.A. Brennecka: Dy, Er, and Yb isotope compositions of meteorites and their components: Constraints on presolar carriers of the rare earth elements. . In: Earth & Planetary Science Letters , 2020,
2019Q.R. Shollenberger, A. Wittke, J. Render, P. Mane, S. Schuth, S. Weyer, N. Gussone, M. Wadhwa, G.A. Brennecka Combined mass-dependent and nucleosynthetic isotope variations in refractory inclusions and their mineral separates to determine their original Fe isotope compositions. . In: Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta , 2019, 215-234
2019G.J. Archer, G.A. Brennecka, P. Gleißner, A. Stracke, H. Becker, T. Kleine Lack of late-accreted material as the origin of 182W excesses in the Archean mantle: Evidence from the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia.. In: Earth & Planetary Science Letters , 2019,
2019Z.A. Torrano, G.A. Brennecka, C.D. Williams, S.J. Romaniello, V.K. Rai, M. Wadhwa: Titanium isotope signatures of calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions from CV and CK chondrites: Implications for early Solar System reservoirs and mixing. . In: Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta , 2019, 13-30
2019J. Render, S. Ebert, C. Burkhardt, T. Kleine, G.A. Brennecka Titanium isotopic evidence for a shared genetic heritage of refractory inclusions from different carbonaceous chondrites. . In: Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta , 2019, 40-53
2018J. Render, G.A. Brennecka, S-J. Wang, L.E. Wasylenki, T. Kleine A distinct nucleosynthetic heritage for early Solar System solids recorded by Ni isotope signatures.. In: The Astrophysical Journal , 2018,
2018Q.R. Shollenberger, J. Render, G.A. Brennecka Er, Yb, and Hf isotopic compositions of refractory inclusions: An integrated isotopic fingerprint of the Solar System’s earliest reservoir. . In: Earth & Planetary Science Letters, 2018, 12-23
2018Q.R. Shollenberger, L.E. Borg, J. Render, S. Ebert, A. Bischoff, S.S. Russell, G.A. Brennecka Isotopic coherence of refractory inclusions from CV and CK meteorites: Evidence from multiple isotope systems. . In: Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 2018, 62-80
2018S. Ebert, J. Render, G.A. Brennecka, C. Burkhardt, A. Bischoff, S. Gerber, T. Kleine Ti isotopic evidence for a non-CAI refractory component in the inner Solar System.. In: Earth & Planetary Science Letters , 2018, 257-265
2018G.A. Brennecka, Y. Amelin, T. Kleine Uranium isotope fractionation in Muonionalusta troilite and the absolute age of the IVA iron meteorite core. . In: Earth & Planetary Science Letters , 2018,
2017G.A. Brennecka, T. Kleine A low abundance of 135Cs in the early Solar System from barium isotopic signatures of volatile-depleted meteorites. . In: The Astrophysical Journal Letters , 2017,
2017G.A. Brennecka, L.E. Borg, S.J. Romaniello, A.K. Souders, Q.R. Shollenberger, N.E. Marks, M. Wadhwa A renewed search for short-lived 126Sn in the early Solar System: Hydride generation MC-ICPMS for high sensitivity Te isotopic analysis.. In: Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta , 2017, 331-344
2017T.S. Kruijer, T. Kleine, L.E. Borg, G.A. Brennecka, A.J. Irving, A. Bischoff, C.B. Agee The early differentiation of Mars inferred from Hf–W chronometry. . In: Earth & Planetary Science Letters , 2017, 345-354
2016C. Burkhardt, L.E. Borg, G.A. Brennecka, Q.R. Shollenberger, N. Dauphas, T. Kleine A nucleosynthetic origin of the Earth's anomalous 142Nd composition. In: Nature, 2016, 394-398
2016L.E. Borg, G.A. Brennecka, S.J.K. Symes Accretion Timescale and Impact History of Mars Deduced from Isotopic Systematics of Martian Meteorites.. In: Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta , 2016, 150-167
2016R. Bezard, M. Fischer-Gödde, C. Hamelin, G.A. Brennecka, T. Kleine The role of magmatic processes and crustal recycling on the molybdenum stable isotopic composition of Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts. . In: Earth & Planetary Science Letters , 2016, 171-181
2015G.A. Brennecka, G. Budde, T. Kleine Uranium isotopic composition and absolute ages of Allende chondrules. . In: Meteoritics & Planetary Science , 2015, 1995-2002
G. Budde, C. Burkhardt, G.A. Brennecka, M. Fischer-Gödde, T.S. Kruijer, T. Kleine Molybdenum isotopic evidence for the origin of chondrules and a distinct genetic heritage between carbonaceous and non-carbonaceous meteorites. . In: Earth & Planetary Science Letters , 293-303