- By Shivangi Sharma
- Wed, 30 Apr 2025 06:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The universe began with only the lightest elements, hydrogen, helium, and traces of lithium. But heavier elements like gold, platinum, and uranium had to be forged later in more extreme environments. For years, scientists have debated how and when these elements first formed. While neutron star collisions are known to create heavy elements, they occur relatively late in the life of the universe. That left a critical question unanswered: Where did the earliest gold come from?
A 20-Year-Old Clue Resurfaces
A team of scientists led by astrophysicist Zara Patel has turned to nearly two-decade-old data from ESA’s INTEGRAL satellite and NASA’s telescopes to find a possible answer. They propose that powerful explosions from magnetars, a type of neutron star with extremely strong magnetic fields, could have produced some of the first heavy elements in the galaxy.
Their work builds on earlier models by scientists Jakub Cehula, Todd Thompson, and Brian Metzger, who had suggested that magnetar giant flares might be a source of these elements. Metzger’s team initially searched for visible and ultraviolet signals but soon pivoted when fellow researcher Eric Burns suggested gamma rays might offer a clearer path. Revisiting 2004 data, they discovered a puzzling gamma-ray signal that aligned with a known magnetar flare.
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Magnetars And Making of Gold
Neutron stars are ultra-dense remnants of massive stars, and magnetars are even more extreme, with magnetic fields a thousand times stronger than typical neutron stars. Occasionally, they experience "starquakes" that trigger giant flares—explosions so powerful they can impact Earth’s atmosphere.
According to the study, a single magnetar giant flare can create heavy elements with a combined mass equivalent to 27 moons. These include gold, platinum, uranium, and strontium, formed through a process called rapid neutron capture, or r-process.
Metzger called the findings “only the second time we've directly seen where these elements form,” the first being neutron star mergers. Patel emphasised the importance of this discovery, noting that magnetar flares could account for up to 10 per cent of the galaxy’s heavy elements.
Looking Ahead: Future Missions and Forgotten Data
NASA’s upcoming COSI mission, launching in 2027, aims to investigate these magnetar flares more deeply using advanced gamma-ray detection. Meanwhile, researchers are combing through other archival data, hoping to uncover more hidden clues.
“It’s exciting to think that the gold in our rings or electronics may have been forged in one of these cosmic explosions,” Patel reflected. This research not only sheds light on the origins of precious metals but also demonstrates the value of reexamining past data with fresh eyes.