A team of researchers has made a groundbreaking discovery that sheds light on one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics. The origin of gold and other heavy elements heavier than iron, which are found throughout the universe, may have been solved thanks to the study of magnetar giant flares.
Neutron stars, which are formed when massive stars collapse under their own gravity, have extremely powerful magnetic fields that can release an enormous amount of energy in the form of high-energy radiation. When these neutron stars undergo “starquakes,” they can fracture the crust and release a burst of radiation called a magnetar giant flare.
The researchers, led by doctoral student Anirudh Patel from Columbia University, used 20-year-old archival data from NASA and ESA telescopes to find evidence that magnetar flares could contribute up to 10% of the total abundance of elements heavier than iron in the galaxy. This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of the origin of complex matter in the universe.
The team found that when single atoms capture multiple neutrons, they undergo rapid decays, leading to the creation of much heavier elements like uranium. Magnetar flares could provide a unique environment where this process occurs, resulting in the creation and distribution of heavy elements throughout the galaxy.
This discovery is significant because it provides an explanation for how gold was made in the early universe. The researchers used data from past magnetar giant flares to identify a signature signal that matches what they predicted based on their model. This suggests that magnetar flares could have been responsible for creating and distributing heavy elements, including gold.
The next steps in this research include the launch of NASA’s COSI mission, which will study energetic phenomena like magnetar giant flares and provide new insights into the origin of elements. The researchers plan to follow up on other archival data to see if other secrets are hiding in observations of other magnetar giant flares.
Source: https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/neutron-stars/magnetars/where-does-gold-come-from-nasa-data-has-clues