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Title: The Cosmic Lithium Story
Lithium’s story spans the history of the universe and is one that links to all its largest-scale processes: big bang nucleosyntheses, the evolution of stars, and galactic chemical evolution. Lithium was the only metal produced in the big bang, alongside the gases H and He. Stars destroy both stable isotopes of Li easily, yet we still have Li today, even after generations of stars have come and gone. Ongoing production of Li by galactic cosmic rays and by a limited number of Li-producing nuclear reactions and transport processes in some rare types of stars keeps lithium present in the universe.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1517541
PAR ID:
10642795
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 
Publisher / Repository:
Mineralogical Society of America and the Geochemical Society
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Elements
Volume:
16
Issue:
4
ISSN:
1811-5209
Page Range / eLocation ID:
241 to 246
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
lithium big bang stars brown dwarfs nucleosynthesis abundances 6Li 7Li meteorites solar system
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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