. | . |
Tiny, ancient galaxy preserves record of catastrophic event by Staff Writers Pasadena CA (SPX) Mar 22, 2016
The lightest few elements in the periodic table formed minutes after the Big Bang. Heavier chemical elements are created by stars, either from nuclear fusion in their interiors or in catastrophic explosions. However, scientists have disagreed for nearly 60 years about how the heaviest elements, such as gold and lead, are manufactured. New observations of a tiny galaxy discovered last year show that these heavy elements are likely left over from rare collisions between two neutron stars. The work is published by Nature. The new galaxy, called Reticulum II because of its location in the southern constellation Reticulum, commonly known as The Net, is one of the smallest and closest to us known. Its proximity made it a tempting target for a team of astronomers including Carnegie's Josh Simon, who have been studying the chemical content of nearby galaxies. "Reticulum II has more stars bright enough for chemical studies than any other ultra-faint dwarf galaxy found so far," Simon explained. Such ultra-faint galaxies are relics from the era when the universe's first stars were born. They orbit our own Milky Way galaxy and their chemical simplicity can help astronomers understand the history of stellar processes dating back to the ancient universe, including element formation. Many elements are formed by nuclear fusion, in which two atomic nuclei fuse together and release energy, creating a different, heavier atom. But elements heavier than zinc are made by a process called neutron capture, during which an existing element acquires additional neutrons one at a time that then "decay" into protons, changing the makeup of the atom into a new element. Neutrons can be captured slowly, over long periods of time inside the star, or in a matter of seconds, when a catastrophic event causes a burst of neutrons to bombard an area. Different types of elements are created by each method. Surprisingly, the team found that seven of Reticulum II's nine brightest stars contained far more elements produced by rapid neutron captures than have been detected in any other dwarf galaxy. "These stars have up to a thousand times more neutron capture elements than any other stars observed in similar galaxies," said lead author Alexander Ji of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Previously, astronomers had been divided over whether such elements are primarily made by supernova explosions or in more exotic cosmic locations, such as merging neutron stars. However, finding so many more heavy elements in one dwarf galaxy than had ever been seen before in others proves that the source of Reticulum II's neutron capture elements must have been a rare event - much less common than an ordinary supernova. What's more, the sheer amount of these neutron capture elements in Reticulum II far exceeds what most supernovae can even make. "Producing rapid neutron capture elements in a neutron star merger explains these observations beautifully," said co-author Anna Frebel, also of MIT. Old stars in the Milky Way show a pattern of neutron capture elements similar to that found in Reticulum II. This indicates that the process of making neutron capture elements in larger galaxies is likely the same as it is in dwarf galaxies, suggesting that even the heavy elements on Earth originated in neutron star mergers. The team expects that observations of more stars in Reticulum II may shed further light on the origin of heavy elements and the formation history of this unique system. "Because this galaxy is so small, it preserves evidence of ancient rare events incredibly cleanly," said Simon. "We're lucky to have found such an important galaxy so close to us."
Related Links Carnegie Institution for Science Understanding Time and Space
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |