Searching for the Oldest Stars - Ancient Relics from the Early Universe

Astronomers study the oldest observable stars in the universe in much the same way that archaeologists study ancient artifacts on Earth. Here, Anna Frebel--who is credited with discovering several of the oldest and most primitive stars using the world's largest telescopes--takes readers into the far-flung depths of space and time to provide a gripping firsthand account of the cutting-edge science of stellar archaeology. Weaving the latest findings in astronomy with her own compelling insights as one of the world's leading researchers in the field, Frebel explains how sections of the night sky are "excavated" in the hunt for these extremely rare relic stars--some of which have been shining for more than 13 billion years--and how this astonishing quest is revealing tantalizing new details about the earliest times in the universe. She vividly describes how the very first stars formed soon after the big bang and then exploded as supernovae, leaving behind chemical fingerprints that were incorporated into the ancient stars we can still observe today. She shows how these fingerprints provide clues to the cosmic origin of the elements, early star and galaxy formation, and the assembly process of the Milky Way. Along the way, Frebel recounts her own stories of discovery, offering an insider's perspective on this exciting frontier of science. Lively and accessible, this book sheds vital new light on the origins and evolution of the cosmos while providing a unique look into life as an astronomer Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 CONTENTS......Page 8 Preface......Page 12 An Introductory Remark......Page 16 1 WHAT IS STELLAR ARCHAEOLOGY?......Page 20 1.1 The First Minutes after the Big Bang......Page 21 1.2 Stellar Archaeology......Page 26 2 TWO CENTURIES OF PURSUING STARS......Page 29 2.1 First Glimpses of Stellar Rainbows......Page 30 2.2 Decoding Starlight......Page 35 2.3 A New Perspective of the Cosmos......Page 41 2.4 Looking into the Hearts of Stars......Page 48 2.5 Modern Alchemy......Page 54 2.6 The Foundation of Cosmology......Page 57 2.7 The Origin of the Elements......Page 63 3.1 The Cycle of Matter in the Universe......Page 70 3.2 Astronomers and Their Metals......Page 74 3.3 Element Nucleosynthesis in the Cosmic Kitchen......Page 78 3.4 Stellar Diversity......Page 92 4.1 Sorting Stars......Page 97 4.2 A Protostar Forms......Page 104 4.3 The Evolution of a Low-Mass Star......Page 107 4.4 The Evolution of a Massive Star......Page 112 4.5 Supernovae and Supernova Remnants......Page 114 4.6 Preliminary Thoughts about Working with Metal-Poor Stars......Page 121 5 NEUTRON-CAPTURE PROCESSES AND THE HEAVIEST ELEMENTS......Page 126 5.1 How Neon Lamps Relate to Giant Stars—Element Synthesis in the S-Process......Page 128 5.2 Thorium, Uranium, and R-Process Element Synthesis......Page 133 5.3 Cosmo-Chronometry: The Oldest Stars......Page 139 5.4 Nuclear Astrophysics......Page 163 6.1 A Milky Way above Us......Page 165 6.2 The Milky Way’s Structure......Page 168 6.3 Dwarf Galaxies......Page 174 6.4 Star Clusters......Page 180 6.5 Naming Stars......Page 186 7 TALES TOLD BY LIGHT......Page 190 7.1 A Little Lexicon of Light......Page 191 7.2 Spectroscopy—Deciphering Starlight......Page 195 7.3 Element Abundance Analyses of Stars......Page 201 7.4 The Largest Telescopes in the World......Page 208 7.5 Three Steps toward Success......Page 215 7.6 Observations with MIKE......Page 221 8.1 Going Stargazing......Page 227 8.2 Good-Weather Beer......Page 232 8.3 A Sunset......Page 233 8.4 The Observa-thon......Page 236 8.5 One Hundred and Five Stars per Night......Page 238 8.6 Computers, Computers . . .......Page 240 8.7 Tested by Fire......Page 242 9.1 The First Stars in the Universe......Page 245 9.2 The Family of Metal-Poor Stars......Page 252 9.3 The Most Iron-Poor Stars......Page 257 9.4 The Cosmic Chemical Evolution......Page 262 10.1 Pursuing Metal-Poor Stars......Page 276 10.2 Bright Metal-Poor Stars......Page 283 10.3 Mt. Stromlo Succumbs to Bushfires......Page 287 10.4 The Discovery of a Record-Breaking Most Iron-Poor Star......Page 292 10.5 The Astronomical Community......Page 299 11.1 Cosmological Simulations......Page 302 11.2 Where Do Metal-Poor Stars Come From?......Page 308 11.3 Expectations of Future Surveys......Page 314 11.4 The Next Generation of Giant Telescopes......Page 317 11.5 Little Diamonds in the Sky......Page 320 Further Reading......Page 322 Index......Page 324 A leading astronomer takes readers behind the scenes of the thrilling science of stellar archaeology Astronomers study the oldest observable stars in the universe in much the same way archaeologists study ancient artifacts on Earth. Anna Frebel takes readers into the far-flung depths of space and time to provide a gripping firsthand account of the cutting-edge science of stellar archaeology. Weaving the latest findings in astronomy with her own compelling insights as one of the world's leading researchers in the field, she explains how sections of the night sky are "excavated" in the hunt for these extremely rare, 13-billion-year-old relic stars and how this astonishing quest is revealing tantalizing new details about the origins and evolution of the cosmos. Along the way, Frebel recounts her own stories of discovery, offering an insider's perspective on this exciting frontier of science. "Originally published as Auf der Suche nach den ealtesten Sterne, c2012 S. Fischer Verlag GmbHm Frankfurt am Main."--Title page verso.