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Cosmic Origins: Unveiling the Building Blocks of Life

Explore the origins of matter, from fundamental particles to complex molecules, through the lens of astronomy. Delve into the forces of change, atomic constituents, and the cosmic abundance of elements. Discover the role of stars and supernovae in the creation of heavy elements, and the formation of planets and life-building blocks in the universe.

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Cosmic Origins: Unveiling the Building Blocks of Life

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  1. TOPS June 21, 2001 - Origins?

  2. Where did all this stuff come from? (What astronomy has to say about it?) Jeff Kuhn, IfA kuhn@ifa.hawaii.edu

  3. Substance? • Molecules, compounds • Atoms, elements • Fundamental atomic constituents

  4. Forces for change • Thermodynamics • Chemistry • Life

  5. Building blocks Electrons

  6. Elements

  7. Nuclear building blocks and “patterns”

  8. Cosmic abundances

  9. Solar system abundances

  10. Very local abundances Most common compound: Water! CNO Fe Pb Most common elementary particle: Neutron, almost same as protons, IDENTICAL number of electrons

  11. Element origins • Where does it start (Big Bang?) • Did it all come from the first 3 minutes? • Can stars play a role?

  12. A brief history

  13. Epochs

  14. BB works for light elements • Even oldest generations of stars have a lot of Helium… • “Hot soup” model works

  15. Making He in the sun...

  16. Heavy Stars

  17. Evidence of heavy element production

  18. Heavy elements require more... • Higher densities and temperatures… • Above Iron need something special to happen…

  19. Heaviest elements from cosmic explosions (Supernovae) • SN1987A was the first Supernovae in hundreds of years that was visible by eye

  20. Molecule problems... • Collisions aren’t frequent enough to get atoms to stick…Need a way to collect atoms so they can combine… • Cosmic dust is the answer...

  21. Molecules and solids?

  22. We see dust/molecules around giant stars Dust and gas are always found together! ISO image of HD97300

  23. Where did we come from then?

  24. Summary • Light elements formed in the first 3 minutes • Heavies formed in stars later and now • Dust (grains) formed in cool parts of giant stars • Molecules formed on dust grains • Planets condensed from stellar environment • Biological processes differentiated elements

  25. Web resources • www.pbs.org/deepspace/timeline/index.html • Big Bang, classroom activities, screen savers • howstuffworks.lycos.com/atom.htm • activities, atoms, general science, *links* • micro.magnet.fsu.edu • higher level science, movies, Electricity/Mag • www.lbl.gov/abc/wallchart/index.html • Nuclear science intro • www.iso.vilspa.esa.es/science/ • btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/stars1.html#lessonplans • helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/nucleo.html#nucactys • www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/Bima/SolSys.html • www.eng.rpi.edu/~napolj/Origins • this power point presentation at hubble.ifa.hawaii.edu, anonymous ftp on directory INCOMING named topsorigins.ppt

  26. Activities • Concepts • Atoms as product of matter subdivision • Atoms mostly space, nucleus+electrons • Fission requires high density and temperature • “Cross-section” concept • protons and neutrons different cross-sections • Molecules built from atoms • Local constituents result from “fractionation”

  27. Activities • Making atoms, 10cm paper strip cut 31 times… • Make cardboard atom target. Rice grain nucleus, 3’ diameter circle • Proton and neutron target practice, making He • Atomic differentiation, rice and bb’s for H and Fe

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