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Magnetic illustration erupts with energy, possibly forging heavy elements. S | Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH
Scientists may have finally developed where the gold in the early universe came from.
In a new study, researchers revealed that powerful flames originating from neutron stars with a strong magnetic field called “magnets” may have begun to forge gold not long after the big explosion – significantly earlier than it was possible. Researchers described their findings in a study published on Tuesday (April 29) in The letters of astrophysical magazinesS
Scientists have long been puzzled by the origin of the universe huge amounts of goldS Researchers already knew that mergers of collapsed stars and black holes discard heavy metals, but in 2017, for the first time, astronomers watch Merger of two Super -Defensive Star Codns known as Neutrons starsS The cataclysis collision, which happened at 130 million light years, emitted a flash that contained signatures of heavy metals, including platinum and striking amounts of gold.
But while the event in 2017 was part of the golden abundance of the universe, it could not explain how gold and heavy metals were formed in the early days of the universe, since it had not been enough time to appear neutron stars.
Scientists now believe that they can finally explain how gold and other heavy elements are created and distributed first in space.
“This answers one of the questions of the century,” co -author of the study Eric BurnsAssistant in Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University, NASA said statementS
Related: Hubble watches how neutron stars collide and explode to create a black hole and “birth atoms”
Excavated by “extreme explosions”
Magnets have existed since the first days of the universe and the authors of the study estimate that these structures may have contributed up to 10% of all elements more severe than iron in Milky WayAccording to the statement.
Researchers used 20-year data from NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) telescopes to find a hidden source of gold and heavy metals of the universe. They have narrowed their demand to magnetians based on the results of a 2024 surveyWhich found that magnetic giant flames – outbursts of radiation released during Starquakes – can throw away material, including heavy metals, from the bark of neutron stars and in space.
The last magnet giant glare observed on the ground was in 2004. Scientists at that time noticed a small signal in a range of flames, “but no one had no idea of what it could be,” Burns said.
It turns out that this small signal mirrors signals that scientists would expect to see if magnetic created and thrown heavy metals into a giant glare.
Magnetic giant flames produce a huge amount of high-energy radiation, which can be the key to seasoning gold and other elements heavier than iron, according to researchers. Moreover, the authors of the new study believe that the extremely high neutrone density into giant flames can transform mild atomic nuclei into much more severe, triggering multiple nuclear breakdown reactions in one atom at a time.
Atoms carry protons and neutrons, which also determine the mass of the element respectively. Hydrogen is the simplest atom of the periodic table because there is only one proton. Helium, the second smallest element, has two protons; Lithium has three, etc.
Under certain conditions, atoms can absorb an additional neutron, which increases the mass of the atom, destabilizes it and ignites a reaction of nuclear decay that turns this neutron into proton. When this happens, the atom that absorbs the neutron has an additional proton that changes its identity and moves it to the periodic table. Hydrogen becomes helium, the helium becomes lithium, etc.
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Magnetic giant flames host a turbo version of this process, as the huge neutrone density can make atoms absorb several of them at a time, according to researchers. Thus, a relatively light atom can suddenly transform into a much more severe, leading to the rapid formation of heavy metals, including gold.
“This [is] Very cool to think about how some of my phone or laptop was forged in this extreme explosion [over] the course of the history of our galaxy, “leading author of research Anirud PatelDoctoral student in astrophysics at Columbia University in New York, the statement said.
The next step for researchers is to look for additional clues in the older magnetic giant flame data. The mission of NASA Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) will also follow the results during its launch, which is expected in 2027. Cosi is a wide -wing -range telescope that will study energy phenomena, including magnetic giant honesty.