Spectrum from ancient stars could rewrite the history of the universe

The first stars in the universe have never been observed through a telescope, so researchers know very little about them – but they do know that they laid the foundations for the universe as it is now. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Thomas Nordlander will learn more about the first stars by mapping the inherited matter of second-generation stars.

Many of the heavier elements in the universe formed in the first stars. When these exploded in supernovas, elements were flung into the universe, laying the foundations of new stars and galaxies. The first stars thus played a huge role in the evolution of the universe, but astronomers still know very little about them.

Dr Thomas Nordlander, from the Australian National University, will now acquire a better picture of these first stars by studying their “offspring” – the second generation of stars. Their composition reveals which substances were created in their parent stars, because they are created from the matter left behind. 

Thanks to extremely powerful telescopes, researchers have been able to capture the light from around a hundred second-generation stars. Thomas Nordlander will analyse these stars’ spectra using a method he developed, which is far more advanced than previous ones. He will then combine these observations with large-scale computer simulations of stellar atmospheres in three dimensions. His analyses will lead to better understanding of the universe’s evolution, changing the view of our galaxy’s origins. 

As a Wallenberg Academy Fellow, Thomas Nordlander will work at Uppsala University.