| Silicon Burning Process |
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| nucleosynthesis | |
The silicon burning process is extremely short-lived: a star on average burns its accumulated silicon in one day. It is also the last step in a star's life, since the final product, iron-56, is one of the most stable isotopes in the Universe. Fusion cannot proceed any further except by Endothermic processes (such as ''neutron capture'', see R-process , S-process ). The star core cannot produce energy anymore and cools down. Then, gravitational contraction is not compensated anymore with energy production, and the star collapse is unavoidable. This ends with a Supernova explosion and the formation of a Neutron Star (or even a Black Hole , if it is massive enough). The supernova releases a huge amount of energy that makes possible the formation of nuclei beyond iron through rapid capture of neutrons (the r-process). SEE ALSO
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