- #36
Widdekind
- 132
- 0
Population I stars are the newest & youngest & most metal-rich stars around.
They formed from the "ashes" of burnt out (high mass) Population II stars, whose lower mass brethren are the oldest & most metal-poor stars still around.
Those Population II stars, in turn, formed from as-yet-unobservered Pop. III stars, back at the beginning of the Universe -- whose past presence is apparently necessary to explain the existence of what small amounts of metals there actually are in Pop. II stars.
Now, older & more metal-poor Pop. II stars possesses far fewer Planetary Systems -- for, Planetary Formation is strongly correlated w/ Metallicity. But, Pop. II stars tend, not only to be metal poor, but poor in particular types of metals -- especially Iron Peak Elements:
Thus, older Pop. II star systems may be especially "Iron poor". Even those few that possesses Planetary Systems, will possesses planets composed chiefly of C,N,O and the Alpha Elements (including Si), but w/o much Fe,Co,Ni. Thus, those "primitive planets", now many billions of years old, may be "all Mantle & Crust, no Core". They may not have either the (1) Iron-peak Elements necessary to produce Planetary Magnetic Fields; or (2) Heavy Radioactive Elements necessary to keep their Planetary Interiors warm, molten, & Geologically active.
W/ only tiny Iron Cores, weak Planetary Magnetic Fields, and comparatively rapid Geological cooling, primitive planets orbiting Pop. II stars may be uninhabitable.
If so, this could affect the "search space" for SETI-type programs.
They formed from the "ashes" of burnt out (high mass) Population II stars, whose lower mass brethren are the oldest & most metal-poor stars still around.
Those Population II stars, in turn, formed from as-yet-unobservered Pop. III stars, back at the beginning of the Universe -- whose past presence is apparently necessary to explain the existence of what small amounts of metals there actually are in Pop. II stars.
Now, older & more metal-poor Pop. II stars possesses far fewer Planetary Systems -- for, Planetary Formation is strongly correlated w/ Metallicity. But, Pop. II stars tend, not only to be metal poor, but poor in particular types of metals -- especially Iron Peak Elements:
Theoretical galactic evolution models predict that early in the Universe there were more Alpha Elements relative to Fe. Type II supernovae [Core Collapse] mainly synthesize oxygen and the alpha-elements (Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca and Ti) while Type Ia supernovae [White Dwarves] produce elements of the iron peak (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_process
Thus, older Pop. II star systems may be especially "Iron poor". Even those few that possesses Planetary Systems, will possesses planets composed chiefly of C,N,O and the Alpha Elements (including Si), but w/o much Fe,Co,Ni. Thus, those "primitive planets", now many billions of years old, may be "all Mantle & Crust, no Core". They may not have either the (1) Iron-peak Elements necessary to produce Planetary Magnetic Fields; or (2) Heavy Radioactive Elements necessary to keep their Planetary Interiors warm, molten, & Geologically active.
W/ only tiny Iron Cores, weak Planetary Magnetic Fields, and comparatively rapid Geological cooling, primitive planets orbiting Pop. II stars may be uninhabitable.
If so, this could affect the "search space" for SETI-type programs.