Ytterbium is one of the four elements in the periodic table, named after the Ytterby mine in the Stockholm archipelago. The element was first discovered in black gadolinite, first identified in the Ytterby mine in 1787.
Ytterbium is interesting because it can have two different cosmic origins. Scientists believe that one half comes from heavy short-lived stars, while the other half comes from more ordinary stars, just like the sun, and that they create ytterbium in the final stages of their relatively long life.
Ytterbium forms a protective oxide layer in the air, which makes it quite durable. For lanthanide, it is not particularly rare, but difficult to distinguish from others, so it is not used much. Its main application is as an additive in special steels and special permanent magnets. Ytterbium is about 25 to 30% lighter (less dense) than its neighbors tulium and lutetium. Photo: Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements |
“By studying the stars formed at different times in the Milky Way, we have been able to study how fast the Ytterbium concentration in the galaxy increased. We have succeeded in adding relatively young stars to the study,” said Martin Monteliusresearcher in astronomy at the University of Lund during his research and now at the University of Groningen.
It has been speculated that Ytterbium was ejected into space from supernova explosions, stellar winds, and planetary nebulae. There it gathered in large clouds of space, forming new stars.
By studying the high-quality spectra of about 30 stars in the vicinity of the sun, scientists were able to provide important experimental support for the theory of the cosmic origin of Ytterbium. Ytterbium appeared to be largely derived from supernova explosions.
“The instrument we use is a highly sensitive spectrometer capable of detecting infrared light at high resolution. It was used in two telescopes in the southern United States, one in Arizona and one in Texas,” said Martin Montelius.
Because the Ytterbium analysis was performed with infrared light, it is now possible to study large areas of the Milky Way behind the impermeable dust. Infrared light passes through the dust in the same way that red light from the sunset passes through the Earth’s atmosphere.
“Our study opens up the possibility of mapping large parts of the Milky Way that have not been studied before. This means we can compare the evolutionary history in different parts of the galaxy,” he said. Rebecca Forsbergdoctoral student in astronomy at Lund University.
Source: ANI
Source: The Nordic Page