Astronomers use Webb data to measure rapid increase in oxygen in the early universe.
New data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has allowed astronomers to measure the abundance of oxygen in the early universe, and they have found that it increased rapidly within 500-700 million years after the birth of the universe. This rapid increase in oxygen content occurred earlier than astronomers were expecting.
The research team, led by Kimihiko Nakajima at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, used data from JWST to measure the oxygen in 138 galaxies that existed in the first 2 billion years of the universe. They found that most of the galaxies had oxygen abundances similar to modern galaxies. However, out of the seven earliest galaxies in the sample, those that existed when the universe was only 500-700 million years old, six of them had roughly half the predicted oxygen content.
This rapid increase in oxygen content is thought to be due to the first stars and galaxies, which were born a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. These early stars were very massive and short-lived, and they produced large amounts of oxygen when they exploded at the end of their lives.
The findings of this study have important implications for our understanding of the early universe and the evolution of galaxies. They show that oxygen was present earlier than expected, and that the first stars and galaxies played a major role in enriching the universe with this essential element.
The study was published in the journal The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series on November 10, 2023.
Implications of the findings
The findings of this study have important implications for our understanding of the early universe and the evolution of galaxies. They show that oxygen was present earlier than expected, and that the first stars and galaxies played a major role in enriching the universe with this essential element.
Oxygen is necessary for the formation of water, complex organic molecules, and life as we know it. The presence of oxygen in the early universe suggests that the conditions for life may have arisen earlier than previously thought.
The findings of this study also provide new insights into the formation and evolution of galaxies. The rapid increase in oxygen content in the early universe suggests that galaxies were forming and evolving more rapidly than previously thought.
Future research
The findings of this study are just the beginning of our understanding of the early universe and the evolution of galaxies. JWST is expected to provide even more detailed data on the abundance of oxygen in the early universe, as well as other important elements such as carbon and nitrogen. This data will help astronomers to better understand the formation and evolution of galaxies, and the conditions that led to the emergence of life in the universe.
Sources
https://phys.org/news/2023-11-astronomers-webb-rapid-oxygen-early.html#:~:text=Using%20new%20data%20from%20the,were%20present%20earlier%20than%20expected.