Lithium levels in Small Magellanic Cloud match predictions
SEP 07, 2012
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026318
Ars Technica : Observations of the interstellar gas in the Small Magellanic Cloud—a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way—have shown that the levels of lithium match theoretical predictions. Because Li contains so few protons and neutrons, most of it that exists in the universe is believed to have been created within the first three minutes after the Big Bang. However, the Li levels that have been derived from observations within the Milky Way were much lower than levels calculated from theories of primordial nucleosynthesis. Because the Small Magellanic Cloud does not contain a large concentration of heavier elements, the spectra of its interstellar gas were simpler and therefore yielded more accurate measurements of the proportions of lithium in the gas.
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
