Sirius B - Digitaria of the Dogon

It seems science has never been as closely interlaced with mythology, as with the cosmological beliefs of the Dogon and the modern scientific discoveries of the Sirius system.

Regardless of how the Dogon may have received their knowledge, Sirius B, the Digitaria of the Dogon, remains 'an enigmatic object with intriguing questions about its mass and speculation regarding its origin'. Recent findings suggest that the Sirius system is unique, with Sirius A 'clearly being one of the earliest main sequence stars in a binary system containing a white dwarf'. Astronomers think that 'the white dwarf progenitor must have been a more massive star of an even earlier spectral type'. The Dogon say that 'God created Digitaria before any other star'. It is 'the egg of the world', the infinitely tiny and, as it developed, it gave birth to everything that exists, visible or invisible.

Sirius B is said to be almost the size of our Earth, yet appears to contain the mass of our Sun. It is among the most massive white dwarfs known and its theoretical mass-radius relationship is near the limiting Chandrasekhar mass. In fact, its average density of approx. 120,000 times that of water seems incomprehensible for us. How does one want to press an additional 120,000 liters of water into a full 1-liter container?

White dwarfs like Sirius B represent a final stage in stellar evolution. Since nuclear fusion no longer occurs in Sirius B, it could consist predominantly of an end product like iron. With an atomic weight of approx. 56, iron possesses one of the highest binding energy and is therefore, an extremely stable accumulation of matter. But we cannot presume to find common iron in Sirius B. Due to an extremely high pressure, the so-called electron degeneracy pressure, it would have to be in a completely degenerated yet stable form. The Dogon say that Digitaria consists of a metal called sagala, which is a little brighter than iron and so heavy, 'that all earthly beings combined cannot lift it'.

The iron (chemical symbol Fe, atomic number 26) found on Earth has a specific density of about 7,85g/cm3. In the configuration of the electrons, its electrons occupy the 4s-orbital and the 3d-orbital. In order to visualize the possible atomic structure of degenerated iron, we need to take a closer look at the transition in the electron configurations from the first to the forth period. When the 1s-orbital is filled, we have the inert gas Helium (2He). As soon as the electron shell of the 2s-orbital and the 2p-orbital of the second period are filled, we have the inert gas Neon (10Ne). Argon (18Ar) follows when the 3s-orbital and the 3p-orbital are filled. If it were to continue like that, an inert gas would be expected in the fourth period on place 26. Of course, we know from the periodic table of the elements that this is not the case.

As the number of particle increase to form heavier elements, the nucleus remains densely packed while the electrons occupy larger orbits according to their level of energy. The electron configuration of the inert gases helium, neon and argon is distinguished by the fact that the outermost electron shell is filled, thus making the element inert to chemical reactions. Helium, the most stable, has its 1s-orbital filled - basically in a spherical shape. Neon and argon have the p-orbital filled, which would resemble the form of an octahedron (double-pyramid). But in the inner core (and perhaps also the outer core) of Sirius B, the iron atom's 3d-orbital of the fourth period has no chance to be occupied due to the enormous compression. Hence it is plausible that the 4s and 4p-orbitals are filled, implying a super stable element: "Noble or inert Iron".

In our Sun, for example, the high temperature keeps electrons more or less at a distance from the nucleus, whereas in the remnant core of Sirius B electrons remain much more confined. It is believed that the super dense matter of compressed iron atoms in the center of Sirius B could weigh about 3 tons per cm3 on Earth. Such a degenerated or "inert" iron has a different structure and behavior than normal iron on Earth, where the atoms readily undergo chemical reactions and the electrons move freely to take up their appropriate energy levels even when subjected to extremely high temperatures. Light quanta or X-rays, for instance, escape atoms if the electrons have the possibility of returning to their normal initial state of energy. But there is no such "normal" state for the electrons in the tightly squeezed iron atoms of Sirius B that constantly possess a very high kinetic energy.

It appears that inside of Sirius B the state of matter is so different that usual physical and chemical laws are not applicable. Perhaps a thought experiment can help us further:

Suppose our iron atom has a diameter of one meter. The atomic nucleus, together with its 26 protons and 30 neutrons, has therefore a diameter of approximately one hundredth of a millimeter, about the size of a bacterium. With so much "empty space" nothing would hinder the 26 electrons to accept various energy levels in their appropriate orbits. If we were to place this model on Sirius B, our iron atom would instantly shrink to a diameter of one centimeter, reaching almost the so-called Chandrasekhar limit. Any further compression would overcome the balance of the electron degeneracy pressure. In other words, more than 1.4 times the mass of our Sun and the iron atoms in Sirius B implode, turning it into a neutron star or a black hole.

Despite this enormous compression from one meter to one centimeter in diameter, our model iron atom will most likely keep the electron configuration of the p-orbital (double-pyramid), as it closely matches the shape of a sphere that can withstand the pressure. This would imply that without degenerated iron, possessing an atomic structure of a "double-pyramid", there is no Chandrasekhar limit and hence the most massive white dwarfs could not exist - all matter would have to end as a neutron star. The only other candidates, which offer sufficient binding energy, would be Chrom and Nickel. However, both lack the necessary atomic structure of the "double-pyramid" that can withstand the degeneracy pressure.

Although nuclear reactions no longer occur within Sirius B one cannot expect it to be all "quite" inside. While the excited electrons may not be able to radiate their energy in a quantum form, as in the case of our Sun, it is possible that their energy is emanated in a much more coherent manner. Since the electron degeneracy pressure is by no means stable, and given the extreme density of the atoms, the entire core of Sirius B could act (oscillate) like a giant "crystal". An emanation of long, coherent gravity waves would be the result. This might also explain the constant flickering of Sirius A, as gravity waves create a pulsating space curvature thereby affecting the emitted light.

Independent of the processes occuring in the core of Sirius B, nuclear fusion may still occur in its outer layers. The remaining hydrogen, helium, carbon, oxygen and silicium should continue the fusion process, eventually terminating by iron. It cannot be ruled out that material from Sirius A is swept up by Sirius B, as the two stars closely approach one an other nearly every 50 years.

Science has still no conclusive data on the actual rotation period of Sirius B. There are suggestions that it may spin very rapidly on its axis, generating huge magnetic fields around it. Since spinning magnetized objects generate a torsion field, Sirius B is therefore, a very likely candidate as a source for such fields.

The Dogon, initiated into the deeper mysteries of their age-old tribal religion, regard Sirius as the star of knowledge - the seat of all learning. Modern science has just begun to unravel its secrets.

Karl-Heinz & Uwe Homann

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References:

M. Griaule & G. Dieterlen, "Un Systéme Soudanais de Sirius", Journal de la Société des Africainistes,Tome XX, Fascicule 2, 1950

J. B. Holberg, "Sirius B: A New, More Accurate View" http://cdsaas.ustrasbg.fr:2001/ApJ/journal/issues/ApJ/v497n2/36707/36707.html

Homann, "Sirius B -Der Digitaria der Dogon", http://www.siriusresearchgroup.com/SiriusB.htm

L. G. Althaus, "Mass-radius relations for white dwarf stars of different internal compositions", http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9909499