04-17-2012, 03:48 PM
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Molecule that Helped Build the Universe Exposed
Humm above my pay grade.. Maybe Comet can help us understand this better than what was released.
Quote:
..Secrets of Molecule that Helped Build the Universe Exposed
LiveScience.com – 7 hrs ago... 17 April 2012
A new study of one of the most fundamental molecules in the universe has given scientists clues into how the very first stars were formed.
For the first time, researchers have calculated the vibration patterns of a compound called H3+ (also known as a triatomic hydrogen ion), which consists of three hydrogen atoms sharing two electrons. Knowing how the molecule can vibrate allows scientists to predict which wavelengths of lightit will emit, giving them a way to identify its signature in astronomical observations.
H3+ is important because it is thought to have been prevalent in the universe just after the Big Bang that started things off around 13.7 billion years ago.
"Most of the universe consists of hydrogen in various forms," University of Arizona chemist Ludwik Adamowicz said in a statement, "but the H3+ ion is the most prevalent molecular ion in interstellar space. It's also one of the most important molecules in existence."[Wacky Physics: The Coolest Little Particles in Nature]
H3+'s vibration and light-emitting qualities may have enabled it to transfer heat away from the first stars as they were in the process of forming, allowing them to coalesce without overheating and bursting apart.
"There wouldn't be any star formation if there weren't molecules that slowly cool down the forming star by emitting light," said Michele Pavanello, who was a University of Arizona graduate student when he worked on the project. "Astronomers think that the only molecule that could cool down a forming star in that particular time is H3+."
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Secrets of Molecule that Helped Build the Universe Exposed - Yahoo! News
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