{"id":293770,"date":"2021-07-08T13:09:20","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T10:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/at-last-a-plausible-explanation-for-the-milky-ways-heavy-elements\/"},"modified":"2021-07-08T13:09:20","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T10:09:20","slug":"at-last-a-plausible-explanation-for-the-milky-ways-heavy-elements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-last-a-plausible-explanation-for-the-milky-ways-heavy-elements\/","title":{"rendered":"#At last, a plausible explanation for the Milky Way\u2019s heavy elements"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25784f23007\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25784f23007\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-last-a-plausible-explanation-for-the-milky-ways-heavy-elements\/#Stellar_alchemy\" >Stellar alchemy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-last-a-plausible-explanation-for-the-milky-ways-heavy-elements\/#A_relic_from_the_early_universe\" >A relic from the early universe<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-last-a-plausible-explanation-for-the-milky-ways-heavy-elements\/#Signatures_of_a_collapsed_rapidly_spinning_star\" >Signatures of a collapsed rapidly spinning star<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-last-a-plausible-explanation-for-the-milky-ways-heavy-elements\/#What_about_neutron_star_mergers\" >What about neutron star mergers?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#At last, a plausible explanation for the Milky Way\u2019s heavy elements<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>Until recently it was thought neutron star mergers were the only way <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pls.llnl.gov\/research-and-development\/nuclear-science\/project-highlights\/livermorium\/elements-113-and-115\">heavy elements<\/a> (heavier than Zinc) could be produced. These mergers involve the mashup of the remnants of two massive stars in a binary system.<\/p>\n<p>But we know heavy elements were first produced not long after the Big Bang when the universe was really young. Back then, not enough time had passed for neutron star mergers to have even occurred. Thus, another source was needed to explain the presence of early heavy elements in the Milky Way.<\/p>\n<p>The discovery of an ancient star SMSS J2003-1142 in the Milky Way\u2019s halo \u2014 which is the roughly spherical region that surrounds the galaxy \u2014 is providing the first evidence for another source for heavy elements, including uranium and possibly gold.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/410107\/original\/file-20210707-13-vbdmhd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-lazy\" alt=\"\" width=\"463\" height=\"499\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/410107\/original\/file-20210707-13-vbdmhd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/410107\/original\/file-20210707-13-vbdmhd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"\" width=\"463\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F07%2F08%2Fpossible-explanation-milky-way-heavy-elements-13-billion-years-ago-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: Around our galaxy, the Milky Way, there is a \u2018halo\u2019 made up of hot gases which is continually being supplied with material ejected by birthing or dying stars. Only 1% of stars in the galaxy are found in the halo. NASA\" data-title=\"Share Around our galaxy, the Milky Way, there is a \u2018halo\u2019 made up of hot gases which is continually being supplied with material ejected by birthing or dying stars. Only 1% of stars in the galaxy are found in the halo. NASA on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share Around our galaxy, the Milky Way, there is a \u2018halo\u2019 made up of hot gases which is continually being supplied with material ejected by birthing or dying stars. Only 1% of stars in the galaxy are found in the halo. NASA on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>Around our galaxy, the Milky Way, there is a \u2018halo\u2019 made up of hot gases which is continually being supplied with material ejected by birthing or dying stars. Only 1% of stars in the galaxy are found in the halo. NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In our research <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/s41586-021-03611-2\">published today<\/a> in Nature, we show the heavy elements detected in SMSS J2003-1142 were likely produced, not by a neutron star merger, but through the collapse and explosion of a rapidly spinning star with a strong magnetic field and a mass about 25 times that of the Sun.<\/p>\n<p>We call this explosion event a \u201cmagnetorotational hypernova\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stellar_alchemy\"><\/span>Stellar alchemy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It was recently <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/strontium-heavy-element-formed-neutron-star-merger.html\">confirmed<\/a> that neutron star mergers are indeed one source of the heavy elements in our galaxy. As the name suggests, this is when two neutron stars in a binary system merge together in an energetic event called a \u201ckilonova\u201d. This process produces heavy elements.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/410108\/original\/file-20210707-25-uv3eud.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/410108\/original\/file-20210707-25-uv3eud.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/410108\/original\/file-20210707-25-uv3eud.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F07%2F08%2Fpossible-explanation-milky-way-heavy-elements-13-billion-years-ago-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: Binary star systems have two stars orbiting around a common centre of mass. A neutron star merger is a type of stellar collision that happens between two neutron stars in a binary system. This process can produce heavy elements. NASA\" data-title=\"Share Binary star systems have two stars orbiting around a common centre of mass. A neutron star merger is a type of stellar collision that happens between two neutron stars in a binary system. This process can produce heavy elements. NASA on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share Binary star systems have two stars orbiting around a common centre of mass. A neutron star merger is a type of stellar collision that happens between two neutron stars in a binary system. This process can produce heavy elements. NASA on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>Binary star systems have two stars orbiting around a common centre of mass. A neutron star merger is a type of stellar collision that h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens between two neutron stars in a binary system. This process can produce heavy elements. NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>However, existing models of the chemical evolution of our galaxy indicate that neutron star mergers <em>alone<\/em> could not have produced the specific patterns of elements we see in multiple ancient stars, including SMSS J2003-1142.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_relic_from_the_early_universe\"><\/span>A relic from the early universe<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>SMSS J2003-1142 was first observed in 2016 from Australia, and then again in September 2019 using a telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile.<\/p>\n<p>From these observations, we studied the star\u2019s chemical composition. Our analysis revealed an iron content roughly 3,000 times lower than the Sun\u2019s. In other words, SMSS J2003-1142 is chemically primitive.<\/p>\n<p>The elements we observed in it were likely produced by a single parent star, just after the Big Bang.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Signatures_of_a_collapsed_rapidly_spinning_star\"><\/span>Signatures of a collapsed rapidly spinning star<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The chemical composition of SMSS J2003-1142 can reveal the nature and properties of its parent star. Particularly important are its unusually high amounts of nitrogen, zinc, and heavy elements including europium and uranium.<\/p>\n<p>The high nitrogen levels in SMSS J2003-1142 indicate the parent star had rapid rotation, while high zinc levels indicate the energy of the explosion was about ten times that of a \u201cnormal\u201d supernova \u2014 which means it would have been a hypernova. Also, large amounts of uranium would have required the presence of lots of neutrons.<\/p>\n<p>The heavy elements we can observe in SMSS J2003-1142 today are all evidence that this star was produced as a result of an early magnetorotational hypernova explosion.<\/p>\n<p>And our work has therefore provided the first evidence that magnetorotational hypernova events are a source of heavy elements in our galaxy (alongside neutron star mergers).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_about_neutron_star_mergers\"><\/span>What about neutron star mergers?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>But how do we know it wasn\u2019t just neutron star mergers that led to the particular elements we find in SMSS J2003-1142? There are a few reasons for this.<\/p>\n<p>In our hypothesis, a single parent star would have made all the elements observed in SMSS J2003-1142. On the other hand, it would have taken much, much longer for the same elements to have been made only through neutron star mergers. But this time wouldn\u2019t have even existed this early in the galaxy\u2019s formation when these elements were made.<\/p>\n<p>Also, neutron star mergers make <em>only<\/em> heavy elements, so additional sources such as regular supernova would had to have occurred to explain other heavy elements, such as calcium, observed in SMSS J2003-1142. This scenario, while possible, is more complicated and therefore less likely.<\/p>\n<p>The magnetorotational hypernovae model not only provides a better fit to the data, it can also explain the composition of SMSS J2003-1142 through a single event. It could be neutron star mergers, together with magnetorotational supernovae, could in unison explain how all the heavy elements in the Milky Way were created.<\/p>\n<p><em>Article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/david-yong-1248129\">David Yong<\/a>, Academic, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/australian-national-university-877\">Australian National University<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/gary-da-costa-1248400\">Gary Da Costa<\/a>, Emeritus Professor of Astronomy, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/australian-national-university-877\">Australian National University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/we-found-a-new-type-of-stellar-explosion-that-could-explain-a-13-billion-year-old-mystery-of-the-milky-ways-elements-163986\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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These mergers involve the mashup of the remnants of two massive stars in a binary system. But we know heavy elements were first produced&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":293771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/StarHed1.jpg&signature=3ba80e9e5b423bf581f7e05321bf992a","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-293770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}