r-process | has definition The capture of neutrons on a very rapid time scale (i.e., one in which a nucleus can absorb neutrons in rapid succession, so that regions of great nuclear instability are bridged), a theory advanced to account for the existence of all elements heavier than bismuth (up to A ≈ 298) as well as the neutron-rich isotopes heavier than iron. The essential feature of the r-process is the release of great numbers of neutrons in a very short time (less than 100 seconds). The presumed source for such a large flux of neutrons is a supernova, at the boundary between the collapsing neutron star and the ejected material. However, other proposed sources have included such things as supernova shocks and black-hole-neutron-star collisions. The heavier r-process elements are synthesized at a temperature of about 109 K and an assumed neutron density of 1020-1030 per cm3. The r-process is terminated by neutron-induced fission. The existence of 244Pu (half-life 82 million years) in the early solar system shows that at least one r-process event had occurred in the Galaxy just before the formation of the solar system. | |