A NEW WAY TO MAKE ELEMENTS
http://focus.aps.org/story/v17/st14
The neat order of chemistry's periodic table hides some
riddles. Physicists have long believed that exploding stars
forge the heavier elements, but the accepted ways to
assemble atomic nuclei in the hot flash of a supernova
cannot explain the existence of some unusual isotopes.
To create them, researchers now propose a new process
that involves antineutrinos, ghostly particles that
supernovae generate in huge numbers. The blazingly fast
reactions, described in the 14 April PRL, may explain some
of the rarer ingredients of our solar system and the distinct
chemical patterns seen in primitive stars.
(C. Fröhlich et. al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 142502)
Link to the paper: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v96/e142502
COMPLETE Focus story at http://focus.aps.org/story/v17/st14
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