ONe nova to rule them all
An artist's impression of this research.
Credit: NAOJ
Astronomers have proposed a new theory to explain the origin of phosphorus, one of the elements important for life on Earth. The theory suggests a type of stellar explosion known as ONe novae as a major source of phosphorus.
After the Big Bang, almost all of the matter in the Universe was comprised of hydrogen. Other elements were formed later, by nuclear reactions inside stars or when stars exploded in events known as novae or supernovae. But there are a variety of stars and a variety of ways they can explode. Astronomers are still trying to figure out which processes were important in creating the abundances of elements we see in the Universe.
In this study, Kenji Bekki, at The University of Western Australia, and Takuji Tsujimoto, at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, proposed a new model based on oxygen-neon novae, denoted as “ONe novae,” to explain the abundance of phosphorus. A ONe nova occurs when matter builds up on the surface of an oxygen-neon-magnesium rich white dwarf star and is heated to the point to ignite explosive run-away nuclear fusion.
The model predicts that a large amount of phosphorus will be released in a ONe nova and that the number of novae will depend on the chemical composition, specifically the iron content, of the stars. The researchers estimate that the rate of ONe novae peaked around 8 billion years ago, meaning that phosphorus would have been readily available when the Solar System started to form around 4.6 billion years ago.
The model predicts that ONe novae will produce a chlorine enhancement similar to the phosphorus enhancement. There is not yet enough observational data for chlorine to confirm this and it provides a testable hypothesis to check the validity of the ONe novae model. Future observations of stars in the outer part of the Milky Way Galaxy will provide the data needed to see if the predicted iron dependency and chlorine enhancement match reality, or if a rethink is needed.
Journal: The Astrophysical Journal Letters
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad3fb6
Method of Research: Observational study
Subject of Research: Not applicable
Article Title: Phosphorus Enhancement by ONe Novae in the Galaxy
Article Publication Date: 10-May-2024
Media Contact
Hitoshi Yamaoka
NAOJ, NINS
hitoshi.yamaoka@nao.ac.jp
Original Source
https://www.nao.ac.jp/en/news/science/2024/20240510-jasmine.html
All latest news from the category: Physics and Astronomy
This area deals with the fundamental laws and building blocks of nature and how they interact, the properties and the behavior of matter, and research into space and time and their structures.
innovations-report provides in-depth reports and articles on subjects such as astrophysics, laser technologies, nuclear, quantum, particle and solid-state physics, nanotechnologies, planetary research and findings (Mars, Venus) and developments related to the Hubble Telescope.
Newest articles
A ‘language’ for ML models to predict nanopore properties
A large number of 2D materials like graphene can have nanopores – small holes formed by missing atoms through which foreign substances can pass. The properties of these nanopores dictate many…
Clinically validated, wearable ultrasound patch
… for continuous blood pressure monitoring. A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego has developed a new and improved wearable ultrasound patch for continuous and noninvasive…
A new puzzle piece for string theory research
Dr. Ksenia Fedosova from the Cluster of Excellence Mathematics Münster, along with an international research team, has proven a conjecture in string theory that physicists had proposed regarding certain equations….