Explaining Lithium Abundances with an Early Galactic Starburst
The discovery of the Lithium plateaus (both Li6 and Li7) in low-metallicity halo stars has been an outstanding puzzle in astronomy. The unique plateau-like behaviour of the Li/H ratio as a function of metallicity, suggests a primordial origin, the exact source and process of which is still not confidently known. The puzzle of the Lithium plateaus has also given rise to what have been called the Lithium problems. In essence, the derived abundances (of both Li6 and Li7) in metal-poor stars are difficult to reconcile with standard predictions from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. We present a novel solution to one of the Lithium problems in stars via an early Galactic starburst as a source of intense supernovae and cosmic rays, which interact (spallate) with the ISM to create 6Li and therefore can explain its observed overabundance and plateau. We also review and summarize various models of non-standard stellar evolution and their relevance to the plateaus regarding Lithium depletion in stars.