Nuclear astrophysics

Nuclear astrophysics studies how nuclear reactions and processes shape stars, stellar explosions, and the abundance of chemical elements in the universe.

Stellar nucleosynthesis: The formation of atomic nuclei inside stars through nuclear reactions. It describes the element-building reactions that nuclear astrophysics investigates.
Big Bang nucleosynthesis: The formation of the universe's light nuclei during its first minutes. It tests nuclear reaction models against primordial hydrogen, helium, and lithium abundances.
Nuclear reaction: A process in which atomic nuclei transform through collisions, decays, or other interactions. Nuclear astrophysics applies this broad class of processes to astronomical environments.
Nuclear reaction network: A linked set of nuclear reactions and decays used to calculate changes in nuclide abundances. Network predictions depend on many reaction rates that remain uncertain.
Triple-alpha process: A sequence of three helium-4 nuclei combining to form carbon-12 in stellar interiors. It explains how stars make carbon from helium.
Supernova nucleosynthesis: The production and redistribution of atomic nuclei during stellar explosions. Explosive conditions create and eject nuclei that enrich later generations of stars.
Nuclear binding energy: The energy required to separate a nucleus into its constituent protons and neutrons. Binding energies determine whether fusion or fission releases energy.
Nuclear astrophysics experiment: A laboratory measurement designed to determine nuclear properties or reactions relevant to astronomical environments. Experiments constrain the reactions that models cannot reliably predict from theory alone.
CNO cycle: A set of hydrogen-fusion reactions in which carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen nuclei act as catalysts. It is a major hydrogen-burning pathway in hot stars.
Neutron star merger: A collision and coalescence of two neutron stars, often producing gravitational waves and a kilonova. Its neutron-rich ejecta provide a leading site for rapid neutron capture.

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