Explaining the Variations in Isotopic Ratios in Meteoritic Amino Acids

Measurements of the isotopic abundances in meteoritic amino acids have found enhancements of(2)H/H,N-15/N-14, and(13)C/C-12 in the amino acids in the meteorites studied. We show that they are consistent with the processing of the constituents of the meteorites by electron antineutrinos that would be expected from a core-collapse supernova or neutron-star merger. Using theoretical electron antineutrino cross-sections, we are able to predict these isotopic ratio variations depending on the time-integrated antineutrino flux at the site where the amino acids were processed.