2000/08/11 by C. Sneden, J. J. Cowan, Sneden, C. +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Frequency and Time Standards #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0008185
8 pages, 2 figures: To appear in the Proceedings of the Texas-Mexico Symposium
arxiv created 2000/08/11 · openalex publication_date 2000/08/11 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The long-lived radioactive element thorium can potentially provide a simple and direct clock to determine the age of our Galaxy. Spectroscopic investigations of thorium in metal-poor stars have yielded some promising initial results. We discuss the major observational and theoretical limitations in thorium cosmochronometry, and point out the ways in which the implied Galactic ages from thorium abundances can be made more accurate.