The first stars of the universe, colossal in size and consisting of hydrogen and helium, could be 300 times more massive than the Sun. It was in them that the first heavy elements originated, which then scattered through the space at the end of their brief life. These ancient stars have become a source of all stars and planets that we see today. According to a new study published in the journal science, these ancient predecessors created not only natural elements.
With the exception of hydrogen, helium and several traces of other light elements, all the atoms around us were formed as a result of astrophysical processes, such as supernova, clashes of neutron stars and clashes of high-energy particles. These processes created heavy elements up to Uranium-238, the most severe naturally encountered element. Uranium is formed as a result of supernova and clashes of neutron stars through the so-called R-process, when neutrons are quickly captured by atomic nuclei, turning into a heavier element. The R-process is complicated, and much in it still remains unclear, including its upper limit by mass. However, a new study suggests that the R-process in the very first stars could produce much heavier elements with an atomic mass of more than 260.
The research group studied 42 stars of the Milky Way, the elemental composition of which is well studied. They found that the abundance of some elements, such as silver and rhodium, does not correspond to the predicted abundance from the famous Nucleosynthesis R-Process. The data suggest that these elements are decaying residues from much heavier nuclei with a mass of more than 260 nuclear units.
In addition to the R-process of the rapid capture of neutrons, there are two more ways to create heavy atomic nuclei: a P-process, in which neutron-begged nuclei capture protons, and an S-process, in which a neutron can capture a nuclear-seven. However, none of them can create a rapid increase in the mass necessary for elements outside of uranium. And only in the hypermassive stars of the first generation of the R-process nucleosynthesis could such elements be generated.
Thus, the study suggests that the R