Researchers believe they have cracked a billion-year-old cosmic mystery. A new theory links the largest known explosions to the rarest elements in the universe. This phenomenon could explain the appearance of metals like gold or plutonium.
Where does the gold found on Earth come from? This question has fascinated scientists for decades. The heaviest elements in the universe, such as uranium or platinum, cannot be produced by conventional reactions in stars. Their formation requires extreme conditions that are rarely found. Until now, the dominant theory was based on the collision of two stars at neutrons, a rare event but violent enough to produce these precious metals.
A team of researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States is now proposing a completely new avenue. According to them, gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe, could also allow the creation of these heavy elements. The latter only occur when a massive star collapses on itself and forms a black hole. This phenomenon releases highly energetic jets of radiation that pierce the outer layers of the dying star.
Gamma-ray bursts could be the source of metals like gold and plutonium
Researchers explain that these jets release photons so powerful that they can transform protons into neutrons in a fraction of a second. They can also shatter atomic nuclei, releasing new neutrons. This bath of particles creates the perfect conditions for the birth of heavy metals. This mechanism could explain the presence of rare radioactive elements found in terrestrial marine sediments, which until now have been difficult to attribute solely to neutron star mergers.
This hypothesis could also shed light on the origin of certain luminous phenomena, such as kilonovae, which have until now been associated with other types of stellar collisions. The team hopes that future observations, thanks to Telescopes capable of capturing light, neutrinos, and gravitational waves will confirm this theory. If true, this discovery would shed new light on the origins of the most precious materials on our planet, Earth.
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