NIKOLAI KHIZHNYAK
A group of researchers recently announced the discovery of oxygen in a galaxy that is 13.1 billion light years from us. As the researchers note, is the farthest point, where they found oxygen in space. In addition, researchers make the assumption that this may appear the first oxygen in the early Universe.
Before coming to this conclusion, a team of researchers from the National astronomical Observatory of Japan and number of Japanese universities analyzed data from observations of the ALMA Observatory (“Techniques large [antenna] the lattice of millimeter range”).
About four years ago, scientists have discovered a galaxy SXDF-NB1006-2. Since then they have tried to determine its constituent chemical elements. On their discoveries they shared on the pages of the journal Science.
As expected, this galaxy has a hydrogen. However, more scientists are interested in the possibility of the existence here of the oxygen, which, they hoped, could provide key information about how was formed the chemical elements. If it contained oxygen, according to computer models of the galaxy, rather, he would pass the process of re-ionization cosmic when cosmic rays ionize the cloud of gas. In the process of re-ionization would occur and very bright flashes of light, as can be seen in the video where it shows the timelapse of the process of simulation of ionization stretching for several million years.
So how flash in this case there are very bright, scientists had hoped that even at the distance of 13.1 billion light years this process will be seen by the ALMA Observatory. And expectations do come true: ALMA saw the flash indicating the presence of oxygen!
Of course, it should be understood that the oxygen has nothing close to the oxygen we breathe today. Besides, its not as much as you might think from. His stock in this galaxy just tiny. It here even less than one tenth of the oxygen available to the Sun. And still more important here is the age of this oxygen.
“It is highly likely that the oxygen was represented by very small stocks as the universe at that time was still very young and could not yet boast of significant star formation,” says study co-author Naoki Yoshida from the University of Tokyo.
“Our calculations show that the supply of oxygen there is less than one-tenth of what there is from our Sun.
The process of re-ionization of oxygen and hydrogen. Photo by ALMA
On Earth the presence of oxygen is closely connected with the opportunity of a lifetime. Especially our species. Therefore, the detection of oxygen in a galaxy far far away one way or another increases the chances of the presence of life in this place. What kind of life — basic or fully developed for space colonization is another question. But this oxygen is not what we could to breathe.
Discovered oxygen in fact is a double-ionized oxygen atoms, not oxygen molecules that we breathe,” says lead researcher Akio Inoue of the Japanese Sangyo University in Osaka.
“In other words, we would not be able to breathe oxygen, which is 13.1 billion light years, even if there were”.
Artistic representation of the process of ionization of oxygen in the galaxy SXDF-NB1006-2
But even despite the fact that this oxygen could not support the life that we know of, according to Inoue, his discovery moves us closer to solving one very important question: where and when exactly did oxygen appeared in the Universe?
“The oxygen atoms, which we found was probably one of those types oxygen first appeared in the Universe, because before the Big Bang it was not at all. And in General, all elements heavier than lithium are made in stars and scattered through the Universe during their death,” says Inoue.
“Oxygen and other elements form dust particles, which later formed planets and possibly life. If this is the case, our finding shows that the origins of oxygen, one of the most important elements of life for people in this Universe.”
Diffusion of oxygen and its reionizatsii
Now that scientists have confirmed the presence of oxygen in a distant galaxy, the next step for them will be the question of how oxygen extends beyond this galaxy. With this information, they hope to understand more about the importance of having oxygen in our Universe.
