Bridging the Gap in Lithium Shortage

The University of Tokyo, Japan's leading university and one of the world's top research institutions, has made a significant stride in resolving the longstanding cosmological lithium problem. A team led by Project Assistant Professor Seiya Hayakawa and Lecturer Hidetoshi Yamaguchi from the Center for Nuclear Study at the University of Tokyo conducted an experiment that has reduced the discrepancy between theoretical and observed amounts of lithium in the universe by around 10%.

The experiment, supported by various funding bodies including JSPS KAKENHI, National Research Foundation of Korea, UK STFC, NKFIH, Janos Bolyai research fellowship, the Ministry of Human Capacities of Hungary, Finanziamenti di Linea 2, and Starting Grant 2020 by University of Catania, was conducted in collaboration with the University of Rostock and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The team utilized the European XFEL laser DIPOLE 100-X for measurements of exotic matter states relevant to nucleosynthesis.

The experiment scrutinized one of the Big Bang nucleosynthesis reactions, where beryllium-7 and a neutron decay into lithium-7 and a proton. The resulting levels of lithium-7 abundance were slightly lower than anticipated, about 10% lower. This finding could offer future theoretical researchers a slightly less daunting task when trying to resolve the cosmological lithium problem.

Lithium-7, the most common isotope of lithium, accounts for 92.5% of all observed, but the expected amount of lithium-7 is around three times greater than what is actually observed. This discrepancy, known as the cosmological lithium problem, has been a challenge for cosmologists.

The paper detailing the findings of this experiment was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters. The DOI for the published paper is 10.3847/2041-8213/ac061f. For more information about the University of Tokyo, including its research output, visit their website at http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/ or follow them on Twitter at @UTokyo_News_en. For specific enquiries, you can contact the Division for Strategic Public Relations at The University of Tokyo at [email protected]. The email address for Project Assistant Professor Seiya Hayakawa is [email protected].

The University of Tokyo boasts a vibrant student body of around 30,000 students, including over 4,000 international students. Its research output is published in the world's top journals across the arts and sciences. This latest breakthrough in resolving the cosmological lithium problem is a testament to the university's commitment to pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge.