Astronomers have proposed a new theory to explain the origin of phosphorus, one of the elements essential for life on Earth. The theory suggests a type of stellar explosion known as “ONe novae” as the primary source of phosphorus.

After the Big Bang, almost all of the matter in the universe consisted of hydrogen. Other elements formed later as a result of nuclear reactions inside stars or when stars exploded in events known as novae or supernovae. But there are many stars and different ways they explode. Astronomers are still trying to figure out which processes are important in creating the many elements we see in the universe.

In this study, Kenji Becki of the University of Western Australia and Takuji Tsujimoto of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan proposed a new model, called “ONE nova”, based on oxygen-neon novae to explain phosphorus abundance. . The study was published in the journal: Astrophysics Journal Letters.

A new ONe forms when material accumulates on the surface of a white dwarf star saturated with oxygen, neon, and magnesium and heats up to the point that it ignites explosive nuclear fusion.

The model predicts that a large amount of phosphorus will be released in the new ONe, and its new amount will depend on the chemical composition of the stars, especially their iron content. Researchers estimate that new ONe peaked about 8 billion years ago; This means that phosphorus was readily available when the Solar System began to form about 4.6 billion years ago.

The model predicts that ONe nova will produce a chlorine enhancement similar to that of phosphorus. Chlorine does not yet have sufficient observational data to confirm this, providing a testable hypothesis to test the validity of the ONe novih model. Future observations of stars in the outer regions of the Milky Way galaxy will provide the data needed to see whether the predicted iron dependence and increased chlorine are correct or need to be reconsidered.