An enigmatic explosion of a magnetar took place at 3.6 billion light years from the earth has attracted the attention of astrophysics. This event, captured for the first time in 2021 and classified as GRB 210905A, is now revolutionizing scientific theories on the origin of the heaviest elements of the universe, such as gold, platinum and uranium. According to a new study published on Naturethe magnetar – neutron stars with extremely intense magnetic fields – could be responsible for the production of these precious metals, so far attributed exclusively to the merger between neutron stars.
Could magnetar produce gold and platinum?
Until now, the dominant theory claimed that the heaviest elements of the cosmos, including gold, formed exclusively during The mergers between neutron stars. However, the observation of the explosion GRB 210905A offers a completely unpublished perspective. This Gamma ray lightning It lasted just a few seconds, but freed a huge amount of energy and matter.
What surprised the researchers was it Luminous spectrum of fterglowor the residual glow left by the explosion. The collected data revealed the presence of elements produced through the trial ra nuclear mechanism capable of generating heavy metals. This same process is the basis of the creation of gold and platinum in star mergers, but now it also emerges that even a eruption magnetar can start it.
The phenomenon occurred in a distant Galaxy, yet it provided a crucial clue: the intense magnetic and rotational force of a magnetar could feed sufficient reactions to form heavy metals without the need for a fusion between two stars.
What are magnetar and why this discovery could change everything
The magnetar They are Super -Vendense neutron stars with magnetic fields billions of times more intense than those of the earth. When one of these stars collapses or explodes, it can release energy in the form of Extremely bright gamma flashescalled Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB). The grub 210905a event is one of these, but with a peculiarity: its effects suggest that it was precisely the explosion of a magnetar, and not the merger of two bodies, to generate elements through the Rapid Neutron-Capture Process (trial r).
This discovery opens a new way in understanding the nucleosynthesis – or the formation of chemical elements in the universe. If the magnetar are truly able to produce gold and other heavy metals, their role in the chemical evolution of the cosmos would have so far been seriously underestimated.
Furthermore, this would imply that The gold present on earth And throughout the Solar System it could originate from one or more magnetar explosions that took place billions of years ago, and not only from collisions between neutron stars as it has been believed so far.
