Star spotted devouring planet, creating lithium in the process

Astronomers spot humongous star devouring planet (+video) - CSMonitor.com
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...g-planet-video

“Theorists have identified only a few, very specific circumstances, other than the Big Bang, under which lithium can be created in stars,” Wolszczan added. “In the case of BD+48 740, it is probable that the lithium production was triggered by a mass the size of a planet that spiraled into the star and heated it up while the star was digesting it.”

Dear Yousuf Khan:

On Wednesday, August 22, 2012 7:38:20 AM UTC-7, Yousuf Khan wrote:
Astronomers spot humongous star devouring
planet (+video) - CSMonitor.com

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...g-planet-video

“Theorists have identified only a few, very
specific circumstances, other than the Big
Bang, under which lithium can be created in
stars,” Wolszczan added. “In the case of BD+48
740, it is probable that the lithium production
was triggered by a mass the size of a planet
that spiraled into the star and heated it up
while the star was digesting it.”

I wonder if the planet is just a "conveyor", carrying lithium from greater depths? With that stellar mass, lithium could be forming pretty shallow, where it might not be so hot. And isn't a red giant fusing helium (in part), which could be producing lithium?

David A. Smith

On 22/08/2012 3:26 PM, dlzc wrote:
Dear Yousuf Khan:

On Wednesday, August 22, 2012 7:38:20 AM UTC-7, Yousuf Khan wrote:
Astronomers spot humongous star devouring
planet (+video) - CSMonitor.com

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...g-planet-video

“Theorists have identified only a few, very
specific circumstances, other than the Big
Bang, under which lithium can be created in
stars,” Wolszczan added. “In the case of BD+48
740, it is probable that the lithium production
was triggered by a mass the size of a planet
that spiraled into the star and heated it up
while the star was digesting it.”

I wonder if the planet is just a "conveyor", carrying lithium from greater depths? With that stellar mass, lithium could be forming pretty shallow, where it might not be so hot. And isn't a red giant fusing helium (in part), which could be producing lithium?

If you're saying that there is lithium floating around in shallow layers
of the star's atmosphere, and this swallowed planet is just
gravitationally pulling this stuff up from the depths, then that's
possible, but I don't think it likely. Why would lithium be in layers of
the star rather than just spread evenly all over the place? If anything
because it's heavier than either hydrogen or helium, it should be
concentrated in the core of the star.

As for a red giant fusing helium and forming a little lithium as a
byproduct that's known to be one of the possible mechanisms of lithium
production, post-Big Bang. But it looks like the planet swallowing
created a greater abundance than even the red giant phase was supposed
to produce. Now one possibility is that the planet being swallowed they
are talking about is not a terrestrial planet but a gas giant planet.
The gas giant would have a lot of its own hydrogen and helium, which is
being blasted inside the star by the star's own hydrogen and helium.

Yousuf Khan

Dear Yousuf Khan:

On Thursday, August 23, 2012 8:05:12 AM UTC-7, Yousuf Khan wrote:
On 22/08/2012 3:26 PM, dlzc wrote:
On Wednesday, August 22, 2012 7:38:20 AM UTC-7, Yousuf Khan wrote:

Astronomers spot humongous star devouring
planet (+video) - CSMonitor.com

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...g-planet-video

“Theorists have identified only a few, very
specific circumstances, other than the Big
Bang, under which lithium can be created in
stars,” Wolszczan added. “In the case of BD+48
740, it is probable that the lithium production
was triggered by a mass the size of a planet
that spiraled into the star and heated it up
while the star was digesting it.”

I wonder if the planet is just a "conveyor",
carrying lithium from greater depths? With
that stellar mass, lithium could be forming
pretty shallow, where it might not be so hot.
And isn't a red giant fusing helium (in part),
which could be producing lithium?

If you're saying that there is lithium floating
around in shallow layers of the star's
atmosphere, and this swallowed planet is just
gravitationally pulling this stuff up from the
depths, then that's possible, but I don't think
it likely. Why would lithium be in layers of
the star rather than just spread evenly all
over the place?

Brazil nut effect would be my only candidate.

If anything because it's heavier than either
hydrogen or helium, it should be concentrated
in the core of the star.

Maybe.

As for a red giant fusing helium and forming
a little lithium as a byproduct that's known
to be one of the possible mechanisms of lithium
production, post-Big Bang. But it looks like
the planet swallowing created a greater
abundance than even the red giant phase was
supposed to produce. Now one possibility is
that the planet being swallowed they are
talking about is not a terrestrial planet but
a gas giant planet.

The gas giant would have a lot of its own
hydrogen and helium, which is being blasted
inside the star by the star's own hydrogen
and helium.

As good as any hypothesis. 11 times the mass of Sol, and red giant. I wonder what the likelihood of supernova is in the next million years?

Think of all the batteries we can make!

David A. Smith

In article ,
dlzc wrote:
Dear Yousuf Khan:

On Thursday, August 23, 2012 8:05:12 AM UTC-7, Yousuf Khan wrote:

If you're saying that there is lithium floating
around in shallow layers of the star's
atmosphere, and this swallowed planet is just
gravitationally pulling this stuff up from the
depths, then that's possible, but I don't think
it likely. Why would lithium be in layers of
the star rather than just spread evenly all
over the place?

Brazil nut effect would be my only candidate.

If anything because it's heavier than either
hydrogen or helium, it should be concentrated
in the core of the star.

Maybe.

Any lithium that goes anywhere near a stellar core will be destroyed in a
matter of days/weeks. There's a reason lithium is pretty rare; any place
hot and dense enough to create it will destroy it even faster.

--
Kathy Rages

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