Origin of the Elements: Nucleosynthesis in Stars

摘要

Over the 13.7 billion years since the Big Bang, stars have burned nuclear fuel to maintain pressure support against gravitational contraction. In doing so, they have converted the hydrogen and helium left over from the Universe's earliest moments into the heavier elements that make nearly all of chemistry possible. This paper briefly reviews the evolution of stars, the mainline stages of stellar burning, and the side reactions that make Nature's heaviest elements.