Mergers between two neutron stars have produced more heavy elements in last 2.5 billion years than mergers between neutron stars and black holes. Most elements lighter than iron are forged in the cores of stars. A star’s white-hot center fuels the fusion of protons, squeezing them together to build progressively heavier elements. But beyond iron, scientists have puzzled over what could give rise to gold, platinum, and the rest of the universe’s heavy elements, whose formation requires more energy than a star can muster.
A new study by researchers at MIT and the University of New Hampshire finds that of two long-suspected sources of heavy metals, one is more of a goldmine than the other.
The study, published today in Astrophysical Journal Letters, reports that in the last 2...
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