Shri Ram Shaw
\nNEW DELHI
\nScientists from across the globe have provided a robust observational evidence for the first time that Light inflammable, metal lithium (Li) production is common among low mass Sun-like stars during their He-core burning phase (star\u2019s core hydrogen-burning phase). Experts feel, this research work is a compelling example of the profound discovery science and serves as a beacon for the younger scientists to excel in their scientific pursuits.
\nLi has brought about transformation in modern communication devices and transportation. A great deal of today\u2019s technology is powered by lithium in its various shades. But where does the element come from? The origin of much of the Li can be traced to a single event, the Big-Bang that happened about 13.7 Billion years ago, from which the present-day Universe was also born.
\nOver the course of time, Li content in the physical Universe has increased by about a factor of four, which is meager compared to the rest of the elements carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, nickel and so on which grew about a million times over the lifetime of the Universe. Stars are primary contributors to this significant enhancement of heavier elements through mass ejections and stellar explosions. Li, however, understood to be an exemption!
\nAs per the current understanding based on today\u2019s best models, lithium in stars like our Sun only gets destroyed over their lifetime. As a matter of fact, the composition of all the elements in the Sun and the Earth is similar. But, the measured content of Li in the Sun is a factor of 100 lower than that of the Earth, though both are known to have formed together, says the study published in science journal Nature Astronomy on 6th July. Scientists from Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and their international collaborators have \u2018\u2018provided the robust observational evidence\u2019\u2019.
\nProf. Eswar Reddy, one of the lead authors of the above paper says, \u201cThis discovery challenges the long-held idea that stars only destroy lithium during their lifetime implying the Sun itself will manufacture lithium in the future, which is not predicted by models, indicating that there is some physical process missing in stellar theory.\u201d
\nAuthors used spectra of hundreds of thousands of stars collected from large surveys of GALAH (Galactic Archaeology project, Anglo-Australian Telescope, Australia) and distances from European Space mission (Gaia).
\nFurther, the authors identified \u201cHe flash\u201d (on-set of He-ignition at the star\u2019s core via violent eruption), at the end of the star\u2019s core hydrogen-burning phase, as the source of Li production. Our Sun will reach this phase in about 6-7 billion years.
\nThe study also suggests new limits (A(Li) > -0.9~dex) for classifying stars as Li-rich, which is 250 times below the threshold (A(Li) > 1.5~dex) used till now.
\nProf. Reddy further added, \u201cThe next crucial step for us is to understand the nucleosynthesis of Li during the He-flash and mixing mechanisms, which hitherto remain unknown, and also to find out whether the increase from its creation in Big-bang to the current value is accounted by only stars as the newly created lithium will end up of being blown off stars as stellar winds which replenish next generation of stars with it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shri Ram Shaw NEW DELHI Scientists from across the globe have provided a robust observational evidence for the first time that Light inflammable, metal lithium (Li) production is common among low mass Sun-like stars during their He-core burning phase (star\u2019s core hydrogen-burning phase). Experts feel, this research work is a compelling example of the profound […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130821,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-130957","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n