Abstract
THE discovery1 of the superheavy elements 116, 124, and 126 raises the question of where these elements are likely to have been formed. The majority of the post-iron-peak nuclei are thought to have been produced in conditions of explosive nucleosynthesis (the r-process), particularly in conventional supernova explosions. The ability of the r-process to produce superheavy elements is, however, very uncertain2. The conditions necessary for superheavy element synthesis (β-decays occurring sufficiently slow that the n γγ n equilibrium is not disturbed) are difficult to realise in astrophysical situations. The n-process (J. B. Blake and D. N. Schramm, unpublished) requires less extreme conditions (the β decays are important) and may occur more often. The majority of the elements normally attributed to the r-process may have been synthesised in this way. Neutron-induced fission causes both processes to terminate at nuclei with high proton numbers, Z, but the n-process may allow it to reach the higher Z value.
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PRINGLE, J., DEARBORN, D. & FABIAN, A. Do superheavy elements imply the existence of black holes?. Nature 263, 114 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/263114a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/263114a0
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