Scientists Discover New Cosmic Source of Gold, Shedding Light on Element's Origins

 

Scientists Propose Magnetars as Potential New Source of Gold in the Universe

For decades, astronomers have puzzled over the origins of heavy elements like gold in the cosmos. Now, a fresh analysis of decades-old space data has pointed to a new candidate: magnetars—hypermagnetized neutron stars formed from stellar explosions.

While the early universe produced lighter elements like hydrogen and helium, and later supernovae created heavier ones such as iron, the origin of gold has remained a mystery. Until now, gold production was thought to come primarily from rare neutron star collisions known as kilonovas, dramatic events that emit gravitational waves and synthesize heavy elements like gold and platinum.

However, new research published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters suggests that magnetars may also forge gold. These dense, spinning remnants of massive stars possess intense magnetic fields and occasionally erupt with “starquakes” that release enormous bursts of energy. Scientists now believe these flares could eject crust material into space with conditions ripe for the formation of heavy elements.

Lead author Anirudh Patel, a physics PhD candidate at Columbia University, explained that theoretical models of such magnetar flares closely matched a mysterious gamma-ray signal recorded in 2004 by the now-retired INTEGRAL space telescope. That signal had been archived and unexplained for nearly 20 years.

“This was a really exciting discovery,” said Patel. “It’s fascinating to think that some of the gold in our devices could have come from these ancient cosmic explosions.”

Additional support came from archived data from NASA’s RHESSI and Wind missions, reinforcing the team's interpretation that a magnetar flare might generate heavy elements, including gold.

However, not all scientists are fully convinced. Astrophysicist Dr. Eleonora Troja, who led key research on the 2017 kilonova, cautioned that the evidence for magnetars creating gold is still tentative. “It’s a plausible hypothesis,” she said, “but it’s one of many possible explanations for the observed gamma-ray emission.”

She added that magnetars are complex and chaotic objects, potentially producing too many light metals instead of heavier ones like gold or uranium. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say a new source of gold has been confirmed,” Troja said, “but rather that an alternative mechanism has been proposed.”

The researchers estimate that magnetar flares could account for up to 10% of the elements heavier than iron in our galaxy. Future missions, such as NASA’s upcoming Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) slated for launch in 2027, may provide more definitive answers by detecting and analyzing gamma-ray bursts from magnetars in real time.