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Cosmic dust that formed our planets traced to giant stars
Research published by nuclear physicists at the University of Edinburgh has helped solve a long-standing puzzle concerning the origin of some stardust grains formed before our Solar System was created and found in meteorites.
The Solar System was born out of an interstellar cloud of gas and dust grains. Some of these grains were made around previous generations of stars and are effectively tiny condensed pieces of stars.
While most of the original dust was destroyed during the formation of the Solar System to make up new rocks and planets, a small fraction of stardust survived and can be found in meteorites that reach the Earth. The chemical composition of these pre-solar grains reveals important clues about the nuclear processes inside stars that led to their formation. But tracing the grains to specific types of stars turned out to be surprisingly difficult.
A new study, led by Dr Lugaro of the Konkoly Observatory in Hungary, and published in Nature Astronomy has solved the puzzle by identifying the impact of a key nuclear reaction on the make-up of these grains.
The breakthrough was possible thanks to experiments led by nuclear physicists from the University of Edinburgh, at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA), at the INFN Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy. Here the team studied nuclear fusion reactions between protons and a particular form of oxygen, which proved crucial for the interpretation of the origin of the stardust grains reported by Dr Lugaro.
Professor Marialuisa Aliotta, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Physics and Astronomy, who led LUNA’s UK team, said: “It is a great satisfaction to know that we have helped to solve a long-standing puzzle on the origin of these key stardust grains. Our study proves once again the importance of precise and accurate measurements of the nuclear reactions that take place inside stars.”
Professor John Simpson, Head of STFC’s Nuclear Physics Group: “As the UK sponsor of nuclear physics, STFC is committed to keeping the UK at the forefront of nuclear physics research, so it is really exciting to see the team from the University of Edinburgh pave the way for this groundbreaking study that answers some of the most longstanding questions about our universe.
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