Inside a high-tech lab in Germany, scientists have brought back a forgotten piece of the early universe. By recreating a molecule born soon after the Big Bang, they’ve offered a rare peek into how stars first began to form.
Heidelberg team simulates ancient cosmic chemistry
The discovery comes from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg. Using an advanced Cryogenic Storage Ring (CSR), researchers successfully recreated helium hydride (HeH⁺), the first molecule believed to exist in the cosmos.
HeH⁺ formed over 13 billion years ago when the universe was still dark and cooling. The molecule itself was the product of a collision between a neutral helium atom and a proton. Scientists think it played an important role in cooling early gas clouds.
This cooling permitted gravity to start working. With cooler temperatures, gas clouds collapsed and spawned stars. Without this reaction, formation of stars and galaxies might have been delayed by millions of years.
Reaction recreated using helium and deuterium
To simulate the conditions of the early universe, the team used the CSR ring, a 35-metre facility that mirrors space-like temperatures and pressure. In this vacuum chamber cooled to ultra-low temperatures, HeH⁺ ions were added and bombarded with neutral deuterium atoms.
This caused a reaction that produced HD⁻, a close cousin of present-day molecular hydrogen (H₂). Researchers were astonished at the speed of the reaction, even at temperatures close to absolute zero.
Earlier theories had predicted slower rates or even barriers to such a reaction. But the experiment showed no energy barrier at all. Theoretical models were corrected after researchers found flaws in previous calculations.
Implications for early stars and galaxies
The findings indicate that HeH⁺ could have persisted longer than has been assumed. That supports the concept that it was a significant part of the universe's early chemical evolution.
The discoveries can now sharpen models that scientists have used to model the formation of the first stars, or Population III stars. They also assist in explaining the widespread distribution of molecular hydrogen and its isotopic variants, such as HD.
Aside from that, the experiment reveals the interstellar medium. These reactions continue to occur in space today, determining the structure and chemistry of galaxies.
A step closer to cosmic origins
This experiment represents a significant breakthrough in astrochemistry and cosmology. By recreating a reaction from more than 13 billion years ago, scientists have moved a step closer to understanding how the first light emerged from cosmic darkness.
It proves that even the earliest chapters of our universe’s story can still be studied—not just with telescopes, but also inside a lab.
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