Research results have shown that there was a rapid increase in oxygen in the early universe. The general view was that in the early universe after the Big Bang, only light elements such as hydrogen, helium, and trace amounts of lithium existed, and that oxygen was created only after stars were born and a supernova explosion occurred.
A joint research team from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and the University of Tokyo held a press conference on the 9th and claimed that a rapid increase in oxygen abundance in the universe was confirmed about 13.1 to 13.3 billion years ago.
There are many theories about the birth of the universe, and the Big Bang theory, which states that the universe was formed after the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, is the most influential. Scholars who claim this believe that only light elements existed in the newly created universe at the time of the Big Bang, but over time, as stars formed and went through nuclear fusion reactions to become supernova, heavy elements such as oxygen were sprinkled into the galaxy.
Images of six galaxies from 13.1 to 13.3 billion years ago obtained with NIRSPec. Given the low oxygen abundance in each galaxy, it can be inferred that oxygen increased rapidly between 500 and 700 million years after the universe was born. <사진=NAOJ·미 항공우주국(NASA) 공식 홈페이지>
Using large-scale observation data from the James Webb Space Telescope, the research team was able to look into the space environment 13.3 billion years ago, 500 million years after the Big Bang. Kimihiko Nakajima, special assistant professor at NAOJ, said, “We succeeded in finding 138 primordial galaxies 12 billion years ago, which had been almost impossible until now, and measuring the oxygen abundance inside them. This was achieved using the near-infrared spectrometer (NIRSPec) of the James Webb Space Telescope. “It was possible because we had observational data,” he said.
In this process, the research team detected a rapid increase in oxygen in galaxies formed between 500 and 700 million years after the creation of the universe. The research team attached significance to this as very important information for accurately determining when oxygen, which is essential for the Earth and life, existed in outer space.
Assistant Professor Nakajima said, “Looking at the images of six galaxies from 13.1 to 13.3 billion years ago obtained with NIRSPec, it is clearly revealed that the oxygen abundance is low.” He added, “The oxygen abundance of galaxies until 13.1 billion years ago was not much different from the present, suggesting the birth of the universe. “We can see that oxygen increased rapidly between 500 and 700 million years ago,” he explained.
The James Webb Space Telescope begins observation activities in 2022. By capturing phenomena that previous observation equipment could not capture, many theories of the universe are changing. <사진=NASA 공식 홈페이지>
He continued, “Contrary to the expectations of scholars so far, we can infer that the oxygen abundance in the galaxy has already increased rapidly 13.1 to 13.3 billion years ago, reaching the present.” He added, “The time when life was first born in the universe is much earlier than previously expected.” “It may be fast,” he emphasized.
The James Webb Space Telescope, which began full operation in July 2022, looks into deep space through infrared observation equipment of various wavelengths. As scholars observed more distant galaxies and celestial bodies that were previously unknown, several space-related theories and hypotheses were revised in just over a year.
Reporter Jeong Ian [email protected]
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