This new understanding aligns with findings from theoretical physicists who corrected earlier calculations regarding the potential surface used in the reaction analysis.

Scientists have successfully recreated the universe's first molecule, the helium hydride ion (HeH+), which is believed to have played a pivotal role in the formation of the first stars after the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago.

Researchers from the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) in Heidelberg conducted experiments under space-like conditions to investigate the reaction of HeH+ with deuterium, a hydrogen isotope.

The experiments demonstrated that, contrary to previous predictions, the reaction rate of HeH+ with deuterium does not slow down at lower temperatures, suggesting that these reactions were more significant for early universe chemistry than previously thought.

The results from this research provide insights into the mechanisms that contributed to the cooling of gas clouds, which are essential for the formation of the first stars in the universe's history.

The formation of HeH+ and subsequent molecules like molecular hydrogen (H2) occurred as the universe cooled, allowing for neutral atoms to form through recombination with free electrons.