Nitrogen isotopes in the recent solar wind from the analysis of genesis targets: evidence for large scale isotope heterogeneity in the nascent solar system

Nitrogen, the fifth most abundant element in the universe, displays the largest stable isotope variations in the solar system reservoirs after hydrogen. Yet the value of isotopic composition of solar nitrogen, presumably the best proxy of the protosolar nebula composition, is not known. Nitrogen isotopes trapped in Genesis spacecraft target material indicate a 40 % depletion of {sup 15}N in solar wind N relative to inner planets and meteorites, and define a composition for the present-day Sun undistinguishable from that of Jupiter's atmosphere. These results indicate that the isotopic composition of of nitrogen in the outer convective zone of the Sun (OCZ) has not changed through time, and is representative of the protosolar nebula. Large {sup 15}N enrichments during e.g., irradiation, or contributions from {sup 15}N-rich presolar components, are required to account for planetary values.