Today I received a newsletter in my inbox from ThinkInc which asked "what do you think are the implications of there being stars richer in metals at the centre of the Milky Way?" This is what I thought -
The implications depend on a) whether you're an astrophysics student at a university and want to pass your exams, or b) whether you're an astrophysics student sitting in front of your laptop at home and want to know how the universe works.
In the case of a), the student must conclude the implication is that the Big Bang is confirmed since "the Big Bang only gave us light elements, like hydrogen and helium, with metals being forged in stars! When stars die they release these metals, which are used to make new ones."
In the case of b), the student might think of how ocean waves are focused on an island's shore by the seabed. In the same way, gravitational waves in the "sea" of space-time are focused on a galaxy's centre. Recalling that Einstein wrote a paper in 1919 called "Does Gravitation Play a Role in the Composition of Particles?" might lead to the assumption that, since Einstein's intuitions should be listened to, particles composing stars and dust/gas would be more numerous at a galaxy's centre than at its outskirts. To increase the efficiency of gravity's role in composing particles, the universe's other long-range force (electromagnetism, which is a trillion trillion trillion times as strong as gravity) could be added to gravity's effects.
If gravity + electromagnetism indeed composes particles, it would also form the particles called W and Z bosons, as well as those termed gluons - these 3 types of bosons are responsible for the weak and strong nuclear forces. The matter in the large amounts of dust and gas at the galaxy centre has, like all matter, the quantum spin of 1/2. This matter would imprint on the gravitational and electromagnetic waves it encounters, causing the waves to produce more matter in the form of stars, planets, stars' so-called metals, etc.
If the waves encounter a region of space-time relatively devoid of matter, the quantum spin 1/2 could not have much effect on the imprinting that occurs. The waves would primarily meet fields of gravity which make up space-time. The presently hypothetical graviton particles composing these fields possess the quantum spin 2/1. Therefore 2/1 is imprinted on the gravitational waves, causing production of gravitational fields which can reasonably be assumed to be black holes ... or one supermassive black hole. If you believe the Big Bang occurred, this would account for the reported cases of supermassive black holes in the early universe - which otherwise would not have enough time to develop, if they only formed from supernovas). Naturally, the electromagnetic waves are also affected - and they become confined within the fields of gravity which is the black hole.
Hoping I explained that well,
Rodney📷
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