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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cosmic Origin of the Chemical Elements

Massachusetts Institute of Technology via MIT OpenCourseWare

Overview

Everything around us is made from different chemical elements: carbon, silicon, iron, and all the other elements from the Periodic Table. The lighter elements were mostly produced in the Big Bang, but the rest were (and are) formed within stars and in the explosions of supernovae. In this series of short lecture videos, created to accompany her book _Searching for the Oldest Stars: Ancient Relics from the Early Universe_ (Princeton University Press, 2019), Professor Anna Frebel reveals the secrets of stardust and explains the cosmic origin of the elements.

Syllabus

  • Episode 1: Introduction and Overview
  • Episode 2. What the Universe Is Made Of
  • Episode 3: Early Chemical Evolution
  • Episode 4: The First Chemical Enrichment Events
  • Episode 5: Stellar Archaeology
  • Episode 6: Element Production (Fusion) - Part 1
  • Episode 7: Element Production (Fusion) - Part 2
  • Episode 8: Spectroscopy
  • Episode 9: Formation of the Heaviest Elements
  • Episode 10: Telescopes and Observing
  • Episode 11: Summary

Taught by

Prof. Anna Frebel

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