Phosphorus-rich stars with unusual abundances are challenging theoretical predictions

Almost all chemical elements have been made by nucleosynthetic reactions in various kind of stars and have been accumulated along our cosmic history. Among those elements, the origin of phosphorus is of extreme interest because it is known to be essential for life such as we know on Earth. However,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2020-08, Vol.11 (1), p.3759-3759, Article 3759
Main Authors: Masseron, Thomas, García-Hernández, D. A., Santoveña, Raúl, Manchado, Arturo, Zamora, Olga, Manteiga, Minia, Dafonte, Carlos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/33/34/867
639/766/387/1127
704/445/3928
Abundance
Aluminum
Astronomical models
ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
Chemical elements
Chemical evolution
Chemical reactions
Galactic evolution
Galaxies
Humanities and Social Sciences
Magnesium
Massive stars
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
multidisciplinary
Nuclear fusion
Phosphorus
Predictions
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Silicon
Solar system
Solar system evolution
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Summary:Almost all chemical elements have been made by nucleosynthetic reactions in various kind of stars and have been accumulated along our cosmic history. Among those elements, the origin of phosphorus is of extreme interest because it is known to be essential for life such as we know on Earth. However, current models of (Galactic) chemical evolution under-predict the phosphorus we observe in our Solar System. Here we report the discovery of 15 phosphorus-rich stars with unusual overabundances of O, Mg, Si, Al, and Ce. Phosphorus-rich stars likely inherit their peculiar chemistry from another nearby stellar source but their intriguing chemical abundance pattern challenge the present stellar nucleosynthesis theoretical predictions. Specific effects such as rotation or advanced nucleosynthesis in convective-reactive regions in massive stars represent the most promising alternatives to explain the existence of phosphorus-rich stars. The phosphorus-rich stars progenitors may significantly contribute to the phosphorus present on Earth today. Current models of Galactic chemical evolution under predict the phosphorus we observe in our Solar System. Here, the authors show the discovery of 15 phosphorus-rich stars with a peculiar abundance pattern that challenges the present stellar nucleosynthesis theoretical predictions, but which could explain the missing source of phosphorus in the Galaxy.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-020-17649-9