New Tool to Study Population III Stars

New Tool to Study Population III Stars

TNRTB Archive – Retained for reference information

An international team of astronomers has developed a new tool to test RTB’s cosmic creation model. One component of RTB’s model predicts the past existence of a class of stars called Population III stars, which were very massive, burned very quickly, and enriched the early universe with elements heavier than helium. While Population III stars are difficult to study, astronomers continue to develop techniques to verify their properties. One approach uses gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) that are gravitationally lensed (their light is “bent” around a massive object) by distant stars, some of which will be Population III stars. Using this new technique, astronomers analyzed the BATSE catalog of GRBs and found multiple bursts that show evidence of lensing. The lensing object for one of those bursts appears to be a Population III star. If so, astronomers may be able to determine its mass and redshift (its movement to the red part of the spectrum). RTB’s cosmic creation model predicts that future results using this technique will confirm scientists’ theoretical predictions regarding the properties of these stars.