The Universe and the Solar

System

“Origin”
Origin of the Universe
Creation Myths

Symbolic narratives of the beginning of

the world as understood by a culture.
It is handed down from generation to
generation through oral traditions.
Origin of the Universe
Scientific Theories
1. Big bang
2. Steady state Theory
3. Inflation Theory
4. String Theory
5. M Theory
 BIG
 Proposed by Alexander Friedman and Georges
Lamaitre
BANG!
 13.8 Billion years ago (Gya) there was nothing and
nowhere.
 Due to random fluctuation in an empty void, great
explosion and expansion occurred.
 All matter and energy crammed into a tiny compact
point called SINGULARITY.
BIG BANG: TIME
10 s
-35
LINE
10 s
-6

Formation Period
of the of
3s
Basic
10 000 yrs
Elements
Radiation
300 000300
yrsM yrs
Formation
Big BangBirth of the
Occurred!
Period of Universe
Matter Domination
of Stars and Galaxies
Most energy
Protons
Lithium
ItThe
became and
atomin the
began
distinct,
“Inflationary universe
neutrons combined
to form.was
possessing
epoch” in
to the
form
Electrons form
gravity,
of
hydrogen.
dense
radiation. gas clouds
These included
Hydrogen nuclei
collapsed
light,
combine
and
x-rays,
to form
joined
strong with
The universe hydrogen
nuclear force,
expanded and
weakhelium
from nuclei
nuclear
the size to
force,
of an
gained
radio waves
helium
make
enough
and
in the
small
mass
process
neutral
to
ultraviolet
called
atoms.
ignite
rays and
forming the
atomic
and nucleus to
electromagnetic
produce
COSMIC light.
MICROWAVE 10 35
meters
force.
BACKGROUND in width.
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS.
 4 FUNDAMENTAL FORCES

1.Strong Nuclear Force

2.Electromagnetic Force
3.Weak Nuclear Force
4.Gravitational Force
 Evidences for Big Bang Theory
1. Galaxies moving away
Edwin Hubble ,1924, found out that stars gather together forming
galaxies. By determining their velocities based on the amount of light
they emit, he found out that galaxies are moving away each other.
2. Presence of Cosmic Microwave Background
Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson 1960, discovered a background
radio emission from every direction in the sky. The energy is speculated
to be remnant from the formation of the universe.
 Evidences for Big Bang Theory

3. Abundance of Light Elements

Elements like helium, hydrogen, with trace amounts of
lithium and beryllium found in the observable universe.
The ratio of these light elements match to what was
expected from the big bang nucleosynthesis.
 NUCLEOSYNTHESIS

A process that creates new atomic

nuclei from pre-existing nucleons
(protons and neutrons).
 BIG BANG
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
• Primordial nucleosynthesis
• Formation of light elements in the early universe.
• GEORGE GAMOW, HANS BETHE and RALPH ASHER
• The cooling down of the universe kick-started the
nucleosynthesis where:
• Protons and neutrons to form deuterium
• Deuterium collided with other protons producing helium-3
• Deuterium fused with neutrons to produce tritium.
• Tritium and two deuterium nuclei collided and formed lithium-7
• Helium-3 collided with neutrons, forming helium-4
In symbols:
CHEM CHALLENGE 1!
Using the symbols, write the
nuclear reactions for the big bang
nucleosynthesis.
 NUCLEAR
REACTION CHAIN
 What to do with
incomplete nuclear
equation?
ANSWER!
OBSERVE THE CONSERVATION OF MASS NUMBER AND
ATOMIC NUMBER!
 RECALL THE BASICS
• 

6
X
6 is the MASS NUMBER
3 is the ATOMIC NUMBER

3 The letter is the SYMBOL

 What is the rule to complete the
equation?
The SUM of the atomic numbers of all species at
the left-hand side of the equation MUST BE
EQUAL to the SUM of the atomic numbers of the
species at the right hand side. Also applicable for
mass numbers.
 
CHEM CHALLENGE 2!
Complete the following nuclear
reactions!
 

 
 BIG BANG NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
• Predicts that about 25% of the mass of the universe
consist of helium (helium 3 and helium-4), while
0.01% is deuterium, and a smaller quantity is lithium.
• It also assumes that two unstable nuclei were
produced in the early universe- tritium and beryllium-
7.
• The big bang nucleosynthesis did not produce
elements heavier than beryllium.
STELLAR NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
• Galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of stars,
stellar remnants, interstellar gas and dusk and dark
matter.
• Dark matter is considered a hypothetical kind of matter
that cannot be observed even with the use of telescope.
• Stellar Formation is the process of the birth of a star.
A star generates its nuclear energy by fusing light
nuclei to form a heavier nuclei nucleus.
• Note: The mass is converted to energy in accordance with
Einstein’s equation E =mc2.
 HYDROGEN BURNING PHASE
• The fusion of four hydrogen
nuclei into a helium nucleus.
• It supplies the energy to a
star.
• It has two types- the proton-
proton cycle and carbon-
nitrogen-oxygen cycle.
 PROTON PROTON
CYCLE
• It occurs in stars with a
mass that is equal to or
less than that of the sun.
• In each step considerable
energy is released that
further triggers the
fusion reactions.
CARBON NITROGEN
OXYGEN CYLCE
• It occurs for massive
stars.
• It is favorable for
converting hydrogen to
helium.
•A catalytic reaction
wherein carbon initiates
the sequence reactions.
• It produces Carbon-12.
What happens when many
of the Hydrogen have been
converted to Helium?
TRIPLE ALPHA PROCESS
 TRIPLE ALPHA PROCESS
•  It is a process where Helium is burned due to increase in temperature.
• Alpha refers to the Helium 4 nucleus.
• Due to successive addition of Helium nuclei, heavier nuclei up to iron-
56 are synthesized.
 TRIPLE ALPHA PROCESS
•  Once Nickel and Iron are formed in the core, no further fusion
reactions occur.
• Once these elements are formed, energy-generating reactions are no
longer possible.
• ENERGY GENERATION STOPS IN THE CORE.
• However, Iron-56 can readily capture a neutron to form a relatively
stable Iron-57 isotope.

• When the resulting nucleus is unstable, it decays into another

element, giving off beta minus (.
 SLOW AND RAPID NEUTRON
CAPTURE
• Neutron capture process are responsible for
the production of post-iron elements in
stars.
• ½ of the abundance of these elements are
produced by slow neutron capture (S-
process) while the other ½ is by rapid
neutron capture (R-process).
 SLOW AND RAPID NEUTRON
CAPTURE
S-PROCESS
•  Occurs at low neutron densities
• Intermediate temperature
• Heavy nuclei formed increases in
mass number
• As nucleus decays thru
emission, result increases in Z
neutron capture
Beta - emission
R-PROCESS
• Occurs at high neutron densities
• Neutron capture is fast enough
that resulting nucleus cannot
undergo beta decay
• A while Z remains the same
• When nucleus becomes highly
unstable it undergoes beta
decay forming nucleus with high
Z
SUPERNOVA NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
• Involves the production of new elements during
supernova.
• Supernova is an explosion of a massive star (5-
10X of the Sun) when it runs out of nuclear fuel.
• During explosion, a high concentration of
neutrons is emitted.
• R-process produce neutron-rich isotopes of
heavier elements as well as unstable isotopes