Outline

12. Nucleosynthesis

Brief review of various processes.
Another review.
Review of Big Bang nucleosynthesis.
More details on Big Bang nucleosynthesis.

The following figures are from A Review of the Universe.


Light element systhesis:
1H, 2H: Big Bang.
3He, 4He: Big Bang, some stellar.
Li, Be, B: Mostly cosmic ray spallation, some Big Bang.
14N, 13C: CNO-cycle equilibrium ( 14C: cosmic ray spallation).
12C, 16O: 3α process.
18O, 22Ne: α-capture on 14N.
20Ne - 28Si: Carbon burning.
Mg - S: Oxygen burning.
Si - Cr: Photo-disintegrarion rearrangement.
Cr - Ni: Nuclear statisitical equilibrium (NSE; also e-process).

The next figures are from Principles of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis, by D.L.Clayton:

Beyond the iron group: s-process and r-process neutron capture.

Calculated Solar System abundance fractions from Burris, et al. 2000.


Abundances in a population II halo giant compared with scaled Solar System values, showing the r-process dominates early times.

A whole course on Cosmic Chemical Evolution.