Edit - Physics Stack Exchange

You are not logged in. Your edit will be placed in a queue until it is peer reviewed.

We welcome edits that make the post easier to understand and more valuable for readers. Because community members review edits, please try to make the post substantially better than how you found it, for example, by fixing grammar or adding additional resources and hyperlinks.

Rev

$\begingroup$ Is there any reason to believe that supernovae stopped at element 92, or even 118? I know there are limits to how large a nucleus can get, but I would think that a supernova would be a lot more powerful than any of the reactors we've used to create trans-uranics. $\endgroup$
– supercat
Commented Nov 5, 2014 at 0:48
1

$\begingroup$ @supercat Sorry for not spotting this earlier. I believe all the stable elements beyond lead are produced almost exclusively in supernova explosions via the r-process. The question about the limits on nuclear size is a different one - possibly already answered on Physics SE - but governed by the properties of the strong, weak and electromagnetic forces. Very heavy and exotic elements may exist briefly in the cores of supernovae before they explode and are probably still present in the crusts of neutron stars. $\endgroup$
– ProfRob
Commented Nov 20, 2014 at 12:31

Add a comment |

Correct minor typos or mistakes
Clarify meaning without changing it
Add related resources or links
Always respect the author’s intent
Don’t use edits to reply to the author

create code fences with backticks ` or tildes ~
```
like so
```
add language identifier to highlight code
```python
def function(foo):
print(foo)
```
put returns between paragraphs
for linebreak add 2 spaces at end
_italic_ or **bold**
quote by placing > at start of line
to make links (use https whenever possible)
<https://example.com>
[example](https://example.com)
<a href="https://example.com">example</a>
MathJax equations $\sin^2 \theta$

formatting help »
answering help »

MathJax help »