An international team of scientists has demonstrated that hydrogen plays a decisive role in the formation of cosmic dust in red giants, stars in the final stages of life, a discovery that could help to better understand the origin of planets, meteorites and the Solar System itself.
An international team of scientists, led by researchers from from Spain, demonstrated that hydrogen plays a decisive role in the formation of cosmic dust in red giantslow- or medium-mass stars approaching the end of their lives.
The discovery, published in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy. It could help researchers better understand how particles present in interstellar space are formed that, millions of years later, can become part of planets, meteorites or even solar systems.
Cosmic dust is essential for forming stars and planets
“Cosmic dust is one of the fundamental ingredients of the universe,” explained José Ángel Martín-Gago, director of the Madrid Institute of Materials Science (ICMM-CSIC) and one of the main researchers of the study to the EFE agency.
Although almost invisible, these solid particles play an important role in the evolution of galaxies, the formation of stars and planets and the chemistry of the interstellar medium, explained Gonzalo Santoro, lead author of the article and researcher at the Institute for the Structure of Matter (IEM-CSIC).
Experiment recreated conditions of red giant stars
The results were obtained using Stardust, a facility created to produce particles similar to cosmic dust in the laboratory under controlled conditions.
The researchers combined experimental astrochemistry, spectroscopy, electron microscopy and theoretical modeling to reproduce some of the chemical conditions present in red giants.
The work involved several CSIC centers, including the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragon, the Institute of Polymer Science and Technology and the Institute of Fundamental Physics, as well as the French institute IRAP-CNRS and the University of Toulouse.
Hydrogen accelerates formation of silicon carbide
According to Gonzalo Santoro, the main conclusion of the study was the demonstration of the role of hydrogen in the formation of silicon carbide grainsa material often found in the dust produced by this type of star.
The researchers found that, When there is a high density of molecular hydrogen, carbon and silicon react more easily, triggering a chain of chemical reactions that favor the formation of these grains.
Connection between the infinitely small and the cosmos
The team also stressed that the study shows how Nanoscale laboratory experiments can help understand large-scale cosmic phenomena.
According to the researchers, the combination of controlled experiments, advanced characterization techniques and theoretical modeling opens up new possibilities for studying the origin of cosmic dust that ends up integrating celestial bodies such as planets and meteorites.
