In a significant breakthrough, scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru have discovered a rare star with a unique chemical signature that challenges existing models of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis.
The star, named HE 1005‑1439, belongs to a class of ancient stars known as carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. However, what makes it extraordinary is the simultaneous presence of elements formed by both the slow neutron-capture process (s-process) and the intermediate neutron-capture process (i-process) — a combination never observed together in a single star before.
The IIA research team is now working on detailed theoretical models to determine how such a star could have evolved. These findings could reshape how astronomers understand the chemical evolution of galaxies, particularly during the early stages of the universe when heavy elements were first being formed.
The discovery has drawn attention from international astrophysics communities and is expected to lead to new lines of inquiry into the formation and transformation of matter in the cosmos.