Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Nuclear astrophysics

The first 50 years

Two papers published in 1957 helped to define the field of nuclear astrophysics. Since then, the field has expanded to include a broad range of phenomena in addition to the origin of the elements.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Abundances then and now.

References

  1. Cyburt, R. H. Phys. Rev. D 70, 023505 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lodders, K. Astrophys. J. 591, 1220–1247 (2003).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bethe, H. A. & Critchfield, C. L. Phys. Rev. 54, 248–254 (1938).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bethe, H. A. Phys. Rev. 55, 434–456 (1939).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Salpeter, E. E. Astrophys. J. 115, 326–328 (1952).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hoyle, F. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 1, 121–146 (1954).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Burbidge, G. R., Burbidge, E. M., Fowler, W. A. & Hoyle, F. Rev. Mod. Phys. 29, 547–650 (1957).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Cameron, A. G. W. in Chalk River Report CRL-41 (1957); ibid. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific 69, 201–222 (1957).

    Google Scholar 

  9. http://www.na2007.caltech.edu/program2.html.

  10. Linde, A. Phys. Lett. B 175, 395–400 (1986).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Woosley, S. The first 50 years. Nature Phys 3, 832–833 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys804

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys804

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing