https://phys.org/news/2023-12-ancient-stars-extraordinarily-heavy-elements.html Phys.org Topics * Week's top * Latest news * Unread news * Subscribe [ ] Science X Account [ ] [ ] [*] Remember me Sign In Click here to sign in with or Forget Password? Not a member? Sign up Learn more * Nanotechnology * Physics * Earth * Astronomy & Space * Chemistry * Biology * Other Sciences * Medical Xpress Medicine * Tech Xplore Technology [INS::INS] * * share this! * 658 * Twit * Share * Email 1. Home 2. Physics 3. General Physics * * * --------------------------------------------------------------------- December 7, 2023 Editors' notes This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread Ancient stars made extraordinarily heavy elements, researchers find by North Carolina State University stars Credit: CC0 Public Domain How heavy can an element be? An international team of researchers has found that ancient stars were capable of producing elements with atomic masses greater than 260, heavier than any element on the periodic table found naturally on Earth. The finding deepens our understanding of element formation in stars. We are, literally, made of star stuff. Stars are element factories, where elements constantly fuse or break apart to create other lighter or heavier elements. When we refer to light or heavy elements, we're talking about their atomic mass. Broadly speaking, atomic mass is based on the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of one atom of that element. The heaviest elements are only known to be created in neutron stars via the rapid neutron capture process, or r-process. Picture a single atomic nucleus floating in a soup of neutrons. Suddenly, a bunch of those neutrons get stuck to the nucleus in a very short time period--usually in less than one second--then undergo some internal neutron-to-proton changes, and voila! A heavy element, such as gold, platinum or uranium, forms. The heaviest elements are unstable or radioactive, meaning they decay over time. One way that they do this is by splitting, a process called fission. "The r-process is necessary if you want to make elements that are heavier than, say, lead and bismuth," says Ian Roederer, associate professor of physics at North Carolina State University and lead author of the research. Roederer was previously at the University of Michigan. "You have to add many neutrons very quickly, but the catch is that you need a lot of energy and a lot of neutrons to do so," Roederer says. "And the best place to find both are at the birth or death of a neutron star, or when neutron stars collide and produce the raw ingredients for the process. "We have a general idea of how the r-process works, but the conditions of the process are quite extreme," Roederer says. "We don't have a good sense of how many different kinds of sites in the universe can generate the r-process, we don't know how the r-process ends, and we can't answer questions like, how many neutrons can you add? Or, how heavy can an element be? So we decided to look at elements that could be made by fission in some well-studied old stars to see if we could start to answer some of these questions." The team took a fresh look at the amounts of heavy elements in 42 well-studied stars in the Milky Way. The stars were known to have heavy elements formed by the r-process in earlier generations of stars. By taking a broader view of the amounts of each heavy element found in these stars collectively, rather than individually as is more common, they identified previously unrecognized patterns. The work appears in the journal Science. Those patterns signaled that some elements listed near the middle of the periodic table--such as silver and rhodium--were likely the remnants of heavy element fission. The team was able to determine that the r-process can produce atoms with an atomic mass of at least 260 before they fission. "That 260 is interesting because we haven't previously detected anything that heavy in space or naturally on Earth, even in nuclear weapon tests," Roederer says. "But seeing them in space gives us guidance for how to think about models and fission--and could give us insight into how the rich diversity of elements came to be." More information: Ian U. Roederer et al, Element abundance patterns in stars indicate fission of nuclei heavier than uranium, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adf1341. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/ science.adf1341 Journal information: Science Provided by North Carolina State University Citation: Ancient stars made extraordinarily heavy elements, researchers find (2023, December 7) retrieved 8 December 2023 from https://phys.org/news/ 2023-12-ancient-stars-extraordinarily-heavy-elements.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Explore further Astronomers find 'gold standard' star in Milky Way --------------------------------------------------------------------- 659 shares * Facebook * Twitter * Email Feedback to editors * Featured * Last Comments * Popular Study of Philippine sea cucumber shows it may have biomedical applications 7 hours ago 0 Six-million-year-old groundwater pool discovered deep under Sicilian mountains 7 hours ago 1 Researchers quantify the onset of turbulence in a pipe bent back on itself 8 hours ago 0 Researchers create 3D DNA nanorobots Dec 7, 2023 0 Using protein-glutaminase treatment to make veggie-burgers more moist Dec 7, 2023 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------- [gif] 'Appetite for drumsticks': First prey found in a tyrannosaur stomach 2 hours ago [gif] A superconducting junction made from a single 2D material promises to harness strange new physics 3 hours ago [gif] Catalyst makes drugs inside the body to minimize side effects 3 hours ago [gif] Conjoined 'racetracks' make new optical device possible 3 hours ago [gif] Parrots and songbirds have evolved distinct brain mechanisms, study shows 3 hours ago [gif] Genetic mutations that promote reproduction tend to shorten human lifespan, study shows 4 hours ago [gif] Polyethylene waste could be a thing of the past 4 hours ago [gif] Climate change will increase wildfire risk and lengthen fire seasons, study confirms 4 hours ago [gif] How early farmers in Scandinavia overcame climate change 4 hours ago [gif] Research finds marine bacteria, atmospheric rivers can contribute to formation of ice clouds 4 hours ago --------------------------------------------------------------------- Relevant PhysicsForums posts Data collected from different devices: how to combine for analysis? Dec 6, 2023 How ICBMs get to their targets Dec 6, 2023 Superconductor not working? Dec 5, 2023 Wi-Fi vs microwave oven Dec 5, 2023 Are toxins (poisons, forever chemicals, etc) eventually deactivated or neutralized by their own reactions? Dec 1, 2023 Making LED bulbs safer: Health and LEDs Dec 1, 2023 More from Other Physics Topics --------------------------------------------------------------------- [INS::INS] * Related Stories [gif] Astronomers find 'gold standard' star in Milky Way May 11, 2022 [gif] Neutron-rich nuclei reveal how heavy elements form Mar 10, 2023 [gif] Researchers discover alternative cosmic source of gold Nov 15, 2023 [gif] Simulating the three-dimensional morphology of kilonovae Oct 18, 2023 [gif] Where does gold come from?--New insights into element synthesis in the universe Nov 15, 2021 [gif] Simulation of dwarf galaxy reveals different routes for strontium enrichment Jan 10, 2020 * Recommended for you [gif] Not all jets radiate equally in quark-gluon plasma, study finds Dec 7, 2023 [gif] Grinding coffee with a splash of water reduces static electricity and makes more consistent and intense espresso: Study Dec 6, 2023 [gif] A novel microscope operates on the quantum state of single electrons Dec 6, 2023 [gif] New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics Dec 4, 2023 [gif] Japanese experimental nuclear fusion reactor inaugurated Dec 1, 2023 [gif] New understanding of 'oobleck-like' fluids contributes to smart material design Dec 1, 2023 Load comments (0) Let us know if there is a problem with our content Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines). Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request [-- please select one -- ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Your message to the editors [ ] Your email (only if you want to be contacted back) [ ] Send Feedback Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors. Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages. E-mail the story Ancient stars made extraordinarily heavy elements, researchers find Your friend's email [ ] Your email [ ] [ ] I would like to subscribe to Science X Newsletter. Learn more Your name [ ] Note Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form. [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Your message [ ] Send Newsletter sign up Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties. [ ] Subscribe More information Privacy policy Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account. Remove ads Maybe later Medical Xpress Medical Xpress Medical research advances and health news Tech Xplore Tech Xplore The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances Science X Science X The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web Newsletters [ ] Subscribe Science X Daily and the Weekly Email Newsletter are free features that allow you to receive your favorite sci-tech news updates in your email inbox Follow us * * * * * Top * Home * Search * Mobile version * Help * FAQ * About * Contact * Science X Account * Premium Account * Archive * News wire * Android app * iOS app * RSS feeds * Push notification (c) Phys.org 2003 - 2023 powered by Science X Network Privacy policy Terms of use E-mail newsletter [ ] Subscribe Follow us * * * * It appears that you are currently using Ad Blocking software. What are the consequences? x Quantcast