AST-398intermediate

s-Process, r-Process & the Origin of Heavy Elements: Physical Mechanisms

Many nuclei heavier than iron are built primarily by neutron capture rather than energy-producing fusion. Neutron-capture physics explains the origin of elements such as strontium, barium, europium, gold, platinum, and many heavier species.

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s-Process, r-Process & the Origin of Heavy Elements: Physical Mechanisms

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AST-397s-Process, r-Process & the Origin of Heavy Elements: Structures & Vocabulary→

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AST-399s-Process, r-Process & the Origin of Heavy Elements: Observation, Measurement & Evidence→

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Many nuclei heavier than iron are built primarily by neutron capture rather than energy-producing fusion.

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A neutron carries no electric charge, so it can enter a nucleus without overcoming the strong Coulomb repulsion faced by charged particles.