Measurement of 19F(p, γ)20Ne reaction suggests CNO breakout in first stars

Zhang，Liyong1; He，Jianjun1; deBoer，Richard J.2; Wiescher，Michael2; Heger，Alexander3; Kahl，Daid4; Su，Jun1; Odell，Daniel5; Chen，Yinji1; Li，Xinyue1; Wang，Jianguo6; Zhang，Long7; Cao，Fuqiang7; Zhang，Hao1; Zhang，Zhicheng8; Jiang，Xinzhi1; Wang，Luohuan1; Li，Ziming1; Song，Luyang1; Zhao，Hongwei6; Sun，Liangting6; Wu，Qi6; Li，Jiaqing6; Cui，Baoqun7; Chen，Lihua7; Ma，Ruigang7; Li，Ertao8; Lian，Gang7; Sheng，Yaode1; Li，Zhihong7; Guo，Bing7; Zhou，Xiaohong6; Zhang，Yuhu6; Xu，Hushan6; Cheng，Jianping1; Liu，Weiping7,9

2022-10-27

10.1038/s41586-022-05230-x

NATURE   Impact Factor & Quartile

0028-0836

1476-4687

Proposed mechanisms for the production of calcium in the first stars (population III stars)—primordial stars that formed out of the matter of the Big Bang—are at odds with observations. Advanced nuclear burning and supernovae were thought to be the dominant source of the calcium production seen in all stars. Here we suggest a qualitatively different path to calcium production through breakout from the ‘warm’ carbon–nitrogen–oxygen (CNO) cycle through a direct experimental measurement of the F(p, γ)Ne breakout reaction down to a very low energy point of 186 kiloelectronvolts, reporting a key resonance at 225 kiloelectronvolts. In the domain of astrophysical interest, at around 0.1 gigakelvin, this thermonuclear F(p, γ)Ne rate is up to a factor of 7.4 larger than the previous recommended rate. Our stellar models show a stronger breakout during stellar hydrogen burning than previously thought, and may reveal the nature of calcium production in population III stars imprinted on the oldest known ultra-iron-poor star, SMSS0313-6708. Our experimental result was obtained in the China JinPing Underground Laboratory, which offers an environment with an extremely low cosmic-ray-induced background. Our rate showcases the effect that faint population III star supernovae can have on the nucleosynthesis observed in the oldest known stars and first galaxies, which are key mission targets of the James Webb Space Telescope.

SCI

English

NI Journal Papers

Corresponding

National Natural Science Foundation of China["11825504","11490560","12075027","12125509"] ; NSF[OAC-2004601] ; Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics[PHY-1430152] ; Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence (CoE)[CE170100004] ; ARC CoE[CE170100013] ; Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation[10N/PN 19 06 01 05]

Science & Technology - Other Topics

Multidisciplinary Sciences

WOS:000874088900018

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BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY;CLINICAL MEDICINE;MULTIDISCIPLINARY;PLANT & ANIMAL SCIENCE;ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY;SOCIAL SCIENCES, GENERAL;MICROBIOLOGY;ECONOMICS BUSINESS;IMMUNOLOGY;MATERIALS SCIENCE;COMPUTER SCIENCE;SPACE SCIENCE;MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS;CHEMISTRY;NEUROSCIENCE & BEHAVIOR;PHYSICS;GEOSCIENCES;ENGINEERING

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Scopus

1.Key Laboratory of Beam Technology of Ministry of Education,College of Nuclear Science and Technology,Beijing Normal University,Beijing,China
2.Nuclear Science Laboratory,University of Notre Dame,Notre Dame,United States
3.School of Physics and Astronomy,Monash University,Australia
4.Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics,Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH),Bucharest-Măgurele,Romania
5.Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics and Department of Physics and Astronomy,Ohio University,Athens,United States
6.Institute of Modern Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou,China
7.China Institute of Atomic Energy,Beijing,China
8.College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering,Shenzhen University,Shenzhen,China
9.College of Science,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,China

Zhang，Liyong,He，Jianjun,deBoer，Richard J.,et al. Measurement of 19F(p, γ)20Ne reaction suggests CNO breakout in first stars[J]. NATURE,2022,610(7933):656-660.

Zhang，Liyong.,He，Jianjun.,deBoer，Richard J..,Wiescher，Michael.,Heger，Alexander.,...&Liu，Weiping.(2022).Measurement of 19F(p, γ)20Ne reaction suggests CNO breakout in first stars.NATURE,610(7933),656-660.

Zhang，Liyong,et al."Measurement of 19F(p, γ)20Ne reaction suggests CNO breakout in first stars".NATURE 610.7933(2022):656-660.