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by chasil 2140 days ago
The S-Process creates elements with atomic numbers higher than Iron, and it does not rely on supernovas or neutron star dissolution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-process

1 comments

S-process is still endothermic, though, right?

I'm not sure if endothermic is the best word. IANAP. It seems to usually be used when discussing fusion-based neutron generation. But AFAICT neutron generation, especially as it relates to the s-process, is still largely a thermal process--the greater the temperature, the more neutrons are generated, the faster the s-process evolves. (If you go back to the beginning of the universe all nuclear synthesis represents an endothermic process, right? Though, maybe such semantic games aren't particularly helpful when distinguishing nuclear synthesis processes.)