Stellar nucleosynthesisIn astrophysics, stellar nucleosynthesis is the creation of chemical elements by nuclear fusion reactions within stars. Stellar nucleosynthesis has occurred since the original creation of hydrogen, helium and lithium during the Big Bang. As a predictive theory, it yields accurate estimates of the observed abundances of the elements. It explains why the observed abundances of elements change over time and why some elements and their isotopes are much more abundant than others.
Big Bang nucleosynthesisProcess during the early universe Part of a series onPhysical cosmology Big BangUniverse Age of the universe Chronology of the universe Early universe InflationBaryogenesisNucleosynthesis Backgrounds Gravitational wave (GWB) Microwave (CMB)Neutrino (CNB) Expansion and future Hubble's lawRedshift Expansion of the universe FLRW metricFriedmann equations Lambda-CDM model Future of an expanding universe Ultimate fate of the universe Components and structure Components Dark energyDark matter PhotonsBaryons Structure Shape of the universe Galaxy filamentGalaxy formation Large quasar group Large-scale structure ReionizationStructure formation Experiments Black Hole Initiative (BHI) BOOMERanG Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Dark Energy Survey Planck space observatory Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey ("2dF") Wilkinson Microwave AnisotropyProbe (WMAP) Scientists Aaronson Alfvén Alpher Copernicus de Sitter Dicke Ehlers Einstein Ellis Friedmann Galileo Gamow Guth Hawking Hubble Huygens Kepler Lemaître Mather Newton Penrose Penzias Rubin Schmidt Smoot Suntzeff Sunyaev Tolman Wilson Zeldovich List of cosmologists Subject history Discovery of cosmic microwavebackground radiation History of the Big Bang theory Timeline of cosmological theories Category Astronomy portalvte In physical cosmology, Big Bang nucleosynthesis (also known as primordial nucleosynthesis, and abbreviated as BBN) is a model for the production of light nuclei (including, but not limited to, 2H, 3He, 4He, and 7Li) during the first ~20 minutes of the evolution of the universe.
Margaret BurbidgeEleanor Margaret Burbidge, FRS (néePeachey; 12 August 1919 – 5 April 2020) was a British-American observational astronomer and astrophysicist. In the 1950s, she was one of the founders of stellar nucleosynthesis and was first author of the influential BFH paper. During the 1960s and 1970s she worked on galaxy rotation curves and quasars, discovering the most distant astronomical object then known.
Fred HoyleSir Fred Hoyle (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer. With Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge and William Alfred Fowler, he formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis in the influential BFH paper.
Abundance of the chemical elementsThe abundance of the chemical elements is a measure of the occurrences of the chemical elements relative to all other elements in a given environment. Abundance is measured in one of three ways: by mass fraction (in commercial contexts often called weight fraction), by mole fraction (fraction of atoms by numerical count, or sometimes fraction of molecules in gases), or by volume fraction.
William Alfred FowlerWilliam Alfred Fowler (August 9, 1911 – March 14, 1995) was an American astrophysicist. He shared the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his theoretical and experimental studies of the nuclear reactions of importance in the formation of the chemical elements in the universe." He is known for his theoretical and experimental research into nuclear reactions within stars and the energy elements produced in the process.
Nuclear physicsNuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the atom as a whole, including its electrons.
Big BangThe Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an early state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including the abundance of light elements, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, the redshift of galaxies and the large-scale structure of the universe.
Geoffrey BurbidgeGeoffrey Ronald Burbidge (24 September 1925 – 26 January 2010) was an English astronomy professor and theoretical astrophysicist, most recently at the University of California, San Diego. He was married to astrophysicist Margaret Burbidge and was the second author of the influential B2FH paper which she led.Reviews of Modern PhysicsReviews of Modern Physics (often abbreviated RMP) is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Physical Society. Established in 1929, the journal publishes review articles, usually by established researchers, on all aspects of physics and related fields. It is one of the most prestigious journals of its kind today.
University of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a collegiate public research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's third-oldest university in continuous operation. The university's founding followed the arrival of scholars who left the University of Oxford for Cambridge after a dispute with local townspeople.
AstronomyAstronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, meteoroids, asteroids, and comets. Relevant phenomena include supernova explosions, gamma ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.