Nuclear reactionIn this symbolic representing of a nuclear reaction, lithium-6 (3Li) and deuterium (1H) react to form the highly excited intermediate nucleus 4Be which then decays immediately into two alpha particles of helium-4 (2He).
Proton–proton chainThe proton–proton chain, also commonly referred to as the p–p chain, is one of two known sets of nuclear fusion reactions by which stars convert hydrogen to helium. It dominates in stars with masses less than or equal to that of the Sun, whereas the CNO cycle, the other known reaction, is suggested by theoretical models to dominate in stars with masses greater than about 1.3 solar masses.
Nuclear fusionReaction that combines atomic nucleiFusion plasma in China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak.Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nucleus. The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the release or the absorption of energy. This difference in mass arises as a result of the difference in nuclear binding energy between the atomic nuclei before and after the fusion reaction.
Hans BetheGerman-American physicist (1906–2005)Hans Albrecht Eduard Bethe (; German:; 2 July 1906 – 6 March 2005) was a German-American physicist who made major contributions to nuclear physics, astrophysics, quantum electrodynamics and solid-state physics, and received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967 for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis. For most of his career, Bethe was a professor at Cornell University.
SunStar at the centre of the Solar SystemThe Sun is the star located at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light and infrared radiation with 10% at ultraviolet energies. It is the main source of energy for life on Earth.
Catalytic cycleIn chemistry, a catalytic cycle is a multistep reaction mechanism that involves a catalyst. The catalytic cycle is the main method for describing the role of catalysts in biochemistry, organometallic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, materials science, etc. Since catalysts are regenerated, catalytic cycles are usually written as a sequence of chemical reactions in the form of a loop.
Carl Friedrich von WeizsäckerCarl Friedrich Freiherr von Weizsäcker (German:; 28 June 1912 – 28 April 2007) was a German physicist and philosopher. He was the longest-living member of the team which performed nuclear research in Nazi Germany during the Second World War, under Werner Heisenberg's leadership. There is ongoing debate as to whether or not he and the other members of the team actively and willingly pursued the development of a nuclear bomb for Germany during this time.
HeliumHelium (from Ancient Greek: ἥλιος, romanized: helios, lit. 'sun') is a chemical element; it has symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling point is the lowest among all the elements, and it does not have a melting point at standard pressures. It is the second-lightest and second-most abundant element in the observable universe, after hydrogen.
HydrogenChemical element with atomic number 1 (H)–↑H↓Li(none) ← hydrogen → helium
Solar massThe solar mass (M☉) is a frequently used unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately 2×10 kg. It is approximately equal to the mass of the Sun. It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies and black holes.StarLarge self-illuminated object in spaceThe Sun, a G-type main-sequence star, the closest to EarthA star-forming region in the Large Magellanic CloudA star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixedpoints of light.
AstrophysicsAstrophysics is a science that applies the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena including the universe. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the heavenly bodies, rather than their positions or motions in space—what they are, rather than where they are", which is studied in celestial mechanics.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.