Seminar: Probing the lives (and deaths) of the oldest stars

The oldest, most metal-poor stars found in the Galactic halo and satellite dwarf galaxies retain in their atmospheres the chemical footprints of the high redshift Universe. Employing “stellar archaeology” – the diverse use of the chemical and dynamical properties of metal-poor stars – we can answer outstanding questions about the early Universe. Using high resolution optical and UV spectroscopic observations of the dataset of the most chemically interesting metal-poor stars, I use the most metal-poor Galactic stars to help elucidate the nature of their first star progenitors and mechanisms of the SNe responsible for their chemical signatures. I will also explore major recent advancements in our understanding of the heaviest elements formation in the metal-poor stars via the r(apid) neutron capture process, especially in light of the recent ground breaking gravitational wave discovery of the binary neutron star mergers event.

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There will be fika after the seminar.