Rising star born under African skies probes origins of universe

28 June 2015 - 02:00 By FARREN COLLINS

For years Dr Vincent Kheswa would wonder about the universe and its origins as he walked across the hills of rural KwaZulu-Natal on his 6km daily trek to school. His questions outnumbered the mountain peaks around him, but his curiosity wouldn't allow them to go unanswered.Today, research in nuclear astrophysics by this 28-year-old whiz-kid is helping to put South African astrophysics on the international map. He has come a long way since Hluma High School in Nseleni township, 10km north of Richards Bay, and is now considered one of the country's top young scientists.Kheswa's research at iThemba Labs in Cape Town is the first of its kind.His work in understanding the nuclear structure of heavy metals is helping to edge the world closer to understanding the universe's origins.When massive stars, known as supernovas, explode, they produce stardust - which is hurled into space, and formed the basis of our early planet.This includes precious and heavy metals such as gold, platinum and uranium, which are used in various objects, from jewellery to electronics.story_article_left1Kheswa looked at how nature makes lanthanum - a soft, silvery white metal that has puzzled scientists for decades."The production of lanthanum ... hasn't been understood for a long time, and that's where I come in," said South Africa's very own alchemist."It is found in nature, but no one understood - before this work - how exactly it is produced, because [it is] normally produced in stars."Kheswa studied for a BSc in mathematics at the University of Zululand, which he finished in 2007. He did his honours in nuclear physics at the University of the Western Cape before completing his PhD at Stellenbosch University in under three years - earning him an award from the university for "exceeding expectations"."The stars always used to be part of my questions," said Kheswa, the second eldest of four siblings."I always wondered about what happened inside stars, why they appeared bright, and about their size. It is interesting now that we can still only produce some of the reactions that take place in stars."Dr Mathis Wiedeking, senior scientist at iThemba Labs and Kheswa's mentor, described him as the brightest young star at iThemba, but said his discoveries would not lead to large production of lab-produced jewellery and trinkets any time soon."Vincent produces these elements on a very small scale," said the German-born Wiedeking. "Only small quantities that are enough to be measured. It's way too expensive to mass-produce in a lab. "Kheswa's research in nuclear astrophysics is also being tested in countries such as the US. He won the 2014 award for the best PhD presentation from the South African Institute of Physics.collinsf@timesmedia.co.za..

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