Understanding the origins and distribution of chemical elements in the Universe

Understanding the origins and distribution of chemical elements in the Universe has been several decades long pursuit, with many open questions still. The oldest stars in our Milky Way Galaxy are the remaining rare fossils of the early Universe. They preserve the chemical footprints of the First stars and Supernova explosions ever to take place. They can thus be used to answer outstanding questions about the element formation processes that took place some 13 billion years ago. I will explain on how I employ “Stellar Archaeology”: the use of observations and analysis of the chemical properties of the oldest stars in Galaxy, to answer outstanding questions about the early Universe and the origins of the chemical elements in the Cosmos.

Rana EZZEDDINE

Rana EZZEDDINE is assistant professor at the Department of Astronomy in the University of Florida. She studies stars and their chemical compositions to interpret the origin and evolution of the chemical elements in the Galaxy and the Universe.