April 19, 2024 8-10 PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: Cosmic Gold Mining
Lecturer: Shreya Anand
Position:PhD Candidate
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Most of the elements that we interact with on a regular basis were originally synthesized inside stars or during their explosions. The heaviest of elements, such as gold, platinum, and uranium are thought to be primarily produced in extremely dense, neutron-rich, energetic explosions such as the mergers of neutron stars. In this talk, I will share a few different possible origin stories for how these rare, heavy elements came to populate the Earth and our Universe using clues from galactic archaeology, geochemistry, and rapid astronomical observations.