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12 Yr Old Genius Sets Out to Disprove Big Bang?

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... and scientists are even, based on the isotope ratios common on earth (e.g., the overwhelming abundance of 12C as opposed to 13C and 28Si as opposed to 29Si and 30Si, mean that carbon and silicon here have atomic weights very close to 12 and 28) state with some confidence that the stuff our solar system was made out of was "cooked" in a star that ended life as a Type I "hot" supernova--and also in the supernova itself--rather than any of the varieties of Type II supernovas. (That makes the Sun's "father" a very massive star.)

Intriguingly, some silicon carbide grains have been found in meteorites with so much 13C, 29Si and 30Si in them that the atomic weights of the carbon and silicon are respectively about 12.5 and 29. (Can you imagine what a 19th century chemist, before any remote understanding of isotopes, would have thought as he analyzed a handful of that stuff (not that we have that much on hand). Carbon and silicon, nothing else, with totally wrong atomic weights! What gives?) Those "odd" granules of silicon carbide (and some other minerals as well) are evidently most likely from the atmosphere of some completely different and long-dead red giant, which blew them into space in its solar wind.

Meanwhile, we don't talk about "cosmic" isotopic composition any more, but "solar system" composition, to distinguish are 12C and 28Si (and 16O) dominated chemistry.

It's a testament to the power of rational minds that we not only know that everything on earth* other than the hydrogen in the water (and smaller amounts in organic molecules which in turn are mostly in living things) was made inside the core of a star bigger than our sun, and in the subsequent supernova--and that we even know something about that supernova and the star that died in that supernova.

The carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and other "light elements" were made in a giant star, and the gold and silver in your jewelry (and which should be in our money) were made in an explosion that outshone the entire galaxy. Wow.

*I left helium out as something on earth that would not have existed without being made inside a predecessor star, in spite of the fact that significant helium was formed in the big bang (probably most of it in fact). That's because none of _that_ helium remains on earth; incapable of forming compounds, it remained a light gas and earth's gravity could not hold onto it. The helium we use in party balloons and cryogenic cooling is entirely from radioactive decay underground: alpha particles trapped in the rocks pick up a couple of electrons and become helium. So your party balloons are basically filled with chilled out radioactivity. Another "Wow".

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Well, there's half a dozen TV scientists saying that it's Iron that does the trick over several shows - and I'm no astrophysicist so for me it's purely academic interest but I understand that they can be wrong...

Although one of those shows is narrated by Mike Rowe, so I think that settles it. It's Iron that kills stars! ;)

Are you sure they didn't say that going beyond iron is what does this? Seriously, I've looked again and again, and cannot find anything that says that the attempt to create iron kills the stars. Rather the fusing of iron and something else to make something heavier than iron is what does this. If you still want to argue this, provide a link. (Note if they say "fusing iron" they mean fusing with iron as the fuel, not as the end product.)

Iron is very, very common (as elements above atomic number 2 goes) for a reason--that reason being that creating it always releases energy. The earth's core is made up almost entirely of iron, that's how common it is as an element synthesized in stars.

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Are you sure they didn't say that going beyond iron is what does this? Seriously, I've looked again and again, and cannot find anything that says that the attempt to create iron kills the stars.

I can't provide a link to a TV show dude. All I can tell you is that it's been stated at least on "How the Universe Works" in a few different episodes and Morgan Freeman's show he did last year - and yes I'm *POSITIVE* that they said it was making Iron that did it because I watched it over and over, commented on it to my wife, and even noted the coincidence with mythology that said that iron kills/blocks magical creatures.

Oh, but here's a link that says Iron does it:

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/astro801/book/export/html/1829

The reason that fusion of light elements produces energy to support a star is because of the “mass defect” we discussed when we studied the proton-proton chain. The product of hydrogen fusion (one helium nucleus) has less mass than the four hydrogen nuclei that created it. The extra mass has been converted into energy. Each fusion reaction of light elements in the core of a high mass star always has a mass defect. That is, the product of the reaction has less mass than the reactants. However, when you fuse iron, the product of iron fusion has more mass than the reactants. Therefore, iron fusion does not create energy; instead, iron fusion requires the input of energy.

When iron builds up in the core of a high mass star, there are catastrophic consequences. The process of fusing iron requires the star's core to use energy, which causes the core to cool. This causes the pressure to go down, which speeds up the gravitational collapse of the core. This causes a chain reaction: core collapses, iron fusion rate increases, pressure decreases, core collapses faster, iron fusion rate increases, pressure decreases, core collapses faster, iron fusion rate increases, etc., which causes the star's core to collapse in on itself instantaneously. After the core collapses, it rebounds. A large quantity of neutrinos get created in reactions in the core, and the rebounding core and the newly created neutrinos go flying outward, expelling the outer layers of the star in a gigantic explosion called a supernova (to be precise, a type II or core collapse supernova).

Edited by Greebo
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The production of nickel-56 is usually what does it. This is a type II supernova. The dying star goes through death throws for a good period of time, collapsing a bit causing it to heat up thus re-igniting the fusion process of heavier and heavier elements in eash respective collapse/fusion/expansion period. Finally the elements being fused have such high binding force that the outward push of the fusion of these heavy elements cant support the weight of the star structure and it implodes. I dont know for sure if the size of the star dictates what heavy elements will put the final nail in the coffin though, perhaps it does.

I think that nickel-56 during fusion (or attempted fusion) produces iron, so maybe youre both kinda right.

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The production of nickel-56 is usually what does it. This is a type II supernova. The dying star goes through death throws for a good period of time, collapsing a bit causing it to heat up thus re-igniting the fusion process of heavier and heavier elements in eash respective collapse/fusion/expansion period. Finally the elements being fused have such high binding force that the outward push of the fusion of these heavy elements cant support the weight of the star structure and it implodes. I dont know for sure if the size of the star dictates what heavy elements will put the final nail in the coffin though, perhaps it does.

I think that nickel-56 during fusion (or attempted fusion) produces iron, so maybe youre both kinda right.

The nickel-56 quickly decays to iron-56 I believe. As I understand the current theory, iron has the lowest binding energy of any element which means that the creation of elements heavier than iron via fusion requires a net energy input which can only come from the contraction of the core via gravity so there is no equilibrium state possible.

Bottom line, once the core of a massive star burns to iron, there is nothing to resist the contraction of the core except maybe neutron degeneracy pressure if the core is not too massive. As the core collapses at a significant fraction of the speed of light, the release of gravitational energy causes flash fusion of the outer layers releasing still more energy. An enormous outward flux of neutrinos aids in blowing the outer layers of the star into space.

We are, literally, made of star stuff.

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An enormous outward flux of neutrinos aids in blowing the outer layers of the star into space.

Neutrinos basically don't interact with anything, except rarely. Billions, generated by the sun, pass through you every second. Even at night this is true: They go clean through the earth with only minimal numbers of them interacting with the "solid" matter. As rare as a neutrino reaction is, it does happen sometimes, and we can detect those reactions. Neutrinos of course come out of fusion reactions, and during a supernova so many fusion reactions happen (I remember reading 10^58 neutrinos being created during the Big Kaboom), that, were you to be a billion kilometers away, the zillionth of a percent of the neutrinos going through you that actually react with something in your body, would kill you--of course the actual shockwave or regular EM radiation would either smash or fry you if the neutrinos didn't.

That's impressive.

And of course as Alfred Centauri said, actually in the stars the neutrino flux is strong enough to blow the star apart (even as the overwhelming majority of the neutrinos simply pass right on through without affecting anything). Most of the energy of the supernova is neutrinos; most of the rest is the shockwave. The light we see is a tiny fraction of what happens in a supernova.

That quote would be better if your name was D'Lenn. :)

I am wondering if Alfred Centauri has a really outrageous hairdo. :P

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and the gold and silver in your jewelry (and which should be in our money) were made in an explosion that outshone the entire galaxy. Wow.

Does that mean there is gold on Pluto? Oh I forgot, that’s not a planet any more, or is it? Regardless grab some shovels and a pick, we’re going to Pluto. Edited by m082844
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Does that mean there is gold on Pluto? Oh I forgot, that’s not a planet any more, or is it? Regardless grab some shovels and a pick, we’re going to Pluto.

It's possible but not certain. But *if* I understand solar system formation correctly, the heavier elements will gravitate towards the center of a solar system during early formation due to their heavier mass, and once the sun ignites, the lighter elements tend to get pushed outward away from the sun by the solar winds which overcome its gravity. Thus the gas giants usually form in the outer rings and the rocky ones in the inner rings.

Course the Keiper belt and Oort clouds are little understood - who knows what all is out there...

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