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Time of India
05-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
A new source of gold might be found in the most unlikely place
We often think of gold as a precious metal that we find here on Earth, but its journey might actually start from a massive cosmic explosion. For a long time, scientists believed that the rare collisions between neutron stars were the only known way gold and other heavy elements were created in the universe. But now, after reanalyzing old space data, there's a new twist to the story: magnetars– a special kind of neutron star– could also be involved in creating these heavy elements. This discovery gives us a new perspective on one of astronomy's biggest questions: how did some of the heaviest materials in the universe, like gold, come to be? Most of the lighter elements, like hydrogen, helium, and some lithium, were formed soon after the Big Bang. Heavier elements like iron came later, created in supernova explosions. But when it comes to gold, which is heavier than iron, its origin has remained one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics . 'It's a pretty fundamental question in terms of the origin of complex matter in the universe,' said Anirudh Patel, lead author of the study and a doctoral researcher in physics at Columbia University. 'It's a fun puzzle that hasn't actually been solved.' Until now, the only confirmed way gold is created in space was through the collision of two neutron stars. According to the report, these events, called kilonovas , produce strong gravitational waves, bright bursts of radiation, and heavy elements like gold and platinum. A well-known example of this was seen in 2017, which became a key moment in our understanding of cosmic chemistry. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo However, there's a timing issue. 'It is believed that most neutron star mergers occurred only in the past several billion years,' explained study co-author Eric Burns, an astrophysicist at Louisiana State University. That raises the question: how did heavy elements appear so early in the universe's history? To dig deeper into this, researchers turned to data from a powerful magnetar flare that was spotted in December 2004 by the INTEGRAL space mission. At the time, the gamma-ray signal was recorded, but no one really knew what it meant. When the team compared this flare with predictions from earlier models, especially those by Brian Metzger, a professor at Columbia University, the findings were eye-opening. 'When initially building our model and making our predictions back in December 2024, none of us knew the signal was already in the data. And none of us could have imagined that our theoretical models would fit the data so well. It was quite an exciting holiday season for all of us,' Patel shared. NASA's RHESSI and Wind satellites also picked up supporting signals, adding even more credibility to the discovery. Magnetars are a special kind of neutron star. They have incredibly strong magnetic fields and are known for releasing bright, short-lived flares. Scientists believe these bursts are caused by what they call 'starquakes.' 'Neutron stars have a crust and a superfluid core,' said Burns, as quoted by CNN. 'The motion under the surface builds up stress on the surface, which can eventually cause a starquake. On magnetars, these starquakes produce very short bursts of X-rays. Just like on Earth, you (have) periods where a given star is particularly active, producing hundreds or thousands of flares in a few weeks. And similarly, every once in a while, a particularly powerful quake occurs.' The team believes that these powerful flares could send material from the star's crust flying into space, and under the right conditions, this could lead to the creation of heavy elements. 'They hypothesized that the physical conditions of this explosive mass ejection were promising for the production of heavy elements,' Patel said. While the evidence is strong, experts not involved in the study have warned that the findings should be considered a possibility, not a definite conclusion. According to the report, Dr. Eleonora Troja, an astrophysicist at the University of Rome who led the team that discovered X-rays from the 2017 neutron star collision, said: 'The production of gold from this magnetar is a possible explanation for its gamma-ray glow, one among many others as the paper honestly discusses at its end.' She also noted the unpredictable nature of magnetars. 'Magnetars are very messy objects,' she said, as quoted by CNN. Because the formation of heavy elements requires very specific conditions, there's a chance that magnetars could end up creating lighter elements like zirconium or silver instead. 'Therefore, I wouldn't go so far as to say that a new source of gold has been discovered,' she added. 'Rather, what's been proposed is an alternative pathway for its production.' The researchers believe that huge magnetar flares could account for up to 10% of the heavy elements in our galaxy. However, more observations are needed to fully understand their role. NASA's upcoming Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) mission, set to launch in 2027, could provide clearer answers. It will be able to observe gamma rays from these flares, helping to confirm if magnetars can actually produce gold and similar elements. As Patel reflected on the larger implications, he said, 'It's very cool to think about how some of the stuff in my phone or my laptop was forged in this extreme explosion (over) the course of our galaxy's history.' The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Economic Times
04-05-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Have scientists just found a new cosmic source of gold? How 'starquakes' might forge the glittering metal
Scientists may have found a cosmic clue to gold's origins—giant flares from magnetars, ultra-magnetic neutron stars, could forge heavy elements like gold. For decades, astronomers have puzzled over one of the universe's most glittering mysteries: where does gold come from? While the origins of elements like hydrogen and helium trace back to the Big Bang, and heavier elements like iron are born in the explosive deaths of stars, gold—being far heavier—has long been an enigma. Until now, the only known factories of this precious metal were the spectacular collisions of neutron stars, the ultra-dense remnants of supernovae. But according to a report from CNN , a new study has cracked open a cosmic cold case with a dramatic revelation: gold might also be born from the flares of magnetars—supercharged neutron stars with magnetic fields a quadrillion times stronger than Earth's. If true, the implications don't just shake up our understanding of cosmic chemistry—they rewrite it. The potential breakthrough comes from a deeper look at data collected nearly 20 years ago. Researchers analyzing signals from NASA and ESA space telescopes discovered a gamma-ray burst from 2004 that aligns remarkably well with theoretical models of a magnetar explosion. These models suggest that under extreme conditions, when a magnetar undergoes a 'starquake'—akin to an earthquake but on a star's crust—it can eject crust material at unimaginable speeds. This material, they argue, could contain the seeds of gold and other heavy elements. 'We think the starquakes on magnetars produce short, intense bursts of X-rays,' said Eric Burns, a coauthor of the study and astrophysicist at Louisiana State University. 'Sometimes, one of these flares becomes so massive, it hurls part of the star's surface into space.' And that, scientists now believe, might just be enough to spark the creation of gold. — lsuscience (@lsuscience) The 2004 event, captured by the INTEGRAL mission and long forgotten, suddenly re-emerged as a golden lead. Matching this ancient gamma-ray signature with predictions from Columbia University's Brian Metzger and his team, the researchers found eerie similarities—evidence that the flare may have, in fact, carried the fingerprint of heavy element production. Lead author Anirudh Patel, a PhD student at Columbia, likened the discovery to a surprise holiday gift. 'When we built our models in December 2024, we didn't realize the signal had already been hiding in plain sight,' he said. 'It's incredible to think that gold used in everyday electronics could have been forged in such a violent, ancient blast.' While the excitement is palpable, not all astrophysicists are ready to hail magnetars as gold mines. Dr. Eleonora Troja, who helped confirm the gold-making potential of neutron star collisions in 2017, urged caution. 'Magnetars are chaotic, messy systems,' she said. 'They may add too many electrons, which could lead to lighter metals like silver or zirconium, rather than gold.' She agrees that the flare presents a fascinating possibility but warns it's not yet definitive proof. The creation of gold, she noted, requires a very specific recipe—and magnetars might not always have the right ingredients. To truly determine if magnetars are responsible for scattering stardust treasures across the galaxy, scientists will need more than archival data. That's where NASA's upcoming Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI), set to launch in 2027, comes in. Designed to detect gamma rays from cosmic phenomena, COSI could track future magnetar flares in real time and search for the chemical fingerprints of heavy elements. Until then, the mystery remains tantalizing. Are these fiery, magnetic titans quietly churning out gold as they quake and flare across the universe? Or is this just one of many illusions in the great cosmic forge? Whatever the answer, one thing is clear: our search for celestial gold is far from over—and the universe may be hiding its treasure in the most explosive places. Would you like a headline banner or visual element to go with this piece for web?
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Business Standard
30-04-2025
- Science
- Business Standard
Nasa uncovers clues about gold's cosmic origin: All you need to know
The origin of metal heavier than iron, such as gold, has always been a mystery. But not anymore. Nasa finally has an answer to how the previous metal has been created and distributed throughout the universe. A new study led by Columbia University doctoral student Anirudh Patel and published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters suggests that magnetars (highly magnetised neutron stars) could have helped forge and spread elements heavier than iron, like gold, across the universe. The research also suggests that the magnetar flares may have played a far bigger role than expected. Patel's team uses 20-year-old data Patel and his team used 20-year-old data from ESA and Nasa telescopes to help their study, which found that huge magnetar flares could account for up to 10% of the galaxy's heavy elements. Magnetars were formed early, and they have created some of the universe's first gold. Eric Burns from Louisiana State University, who co-authored the study, said it was like solving a century-old riddle using forgotten observations. 'It's answering one of the questions of the century and solving a mystery using archival data that had been nearly forgotten,' said Eric Burns. According to the study, these flares came from magnetars. A magnetar is a type of neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field. One teaspoon of neutron star material could weigh billions of tonnes on Earth. On rare occasions, the magnetars release huge amounts of high-energy radiation when they undergo 'starquakes'. Starquakes are powerful bursts of radiation called magnetar giant flares, which can even affect the atmosphere of Earth. As of now, only three magnetar giant flares have been observed in the Milky Way and the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud and seven outside. Searching for clues from the past When atoms gather too many neutrons, they can decay and gain protons. It pushes them up the periodic table and this process can transform lighter elements into heavier ones like gold, mercury, or even uranium. It needs a neutron-rich setting, which is found during magnetar flares. In 2017, scientists observed the collision of two neutron stars producing heavy elements. However, such collisions happen too late to explain early gold. Recent work by co-authors Jakub Cehula, Todd Thompson and Metzger suggested that magnetar flares might instead be the missing source. Initially, Metzger's team thinks that the visible and ultraviolet light is the clue, but then Burns asks if gamma rays might leave a clearer trail. He then revisited data from the 2004 magnetar flare and discovered a mysterious gamma-ray signal recorded by ESA's now-retired INTEGRAL satellite. The signal matches the prediction by the team. While recalling his excitement, Patel said, 'I wasn't thinking about anything else for the next week." Close eye on future flares The discovery has opened a new door in astrophysics. NASA's upcoming COSI mission, set to launch in 2027, could confirm these results. This wide-field gamma-ray telescope will look closely at cosmic explosions like magnetar flares, potentially identifying specific elements created during the chaos. The latest discovery has been a groundbreaking one, opening a new door in astrophysics. Nasa's future mission, scheduled to take place in 2027, could confirm these results. This wide-field gamma-ray telescope will closely observe cosmic events such as magnetar flares, which are expected to identify specific elements created during the chaos. Reflecting on the journey from cosmic explosions to modern technology, Patel said, 'It's very cool to think about how some of the stuff in my phone or my laptop was forged in this extreme explosion.'
