What is the role of the hydrogen nuclei and helium nuclei in the synthesis of elements in stars?
Hydrogen and helium are the fuel that power a star and in so doing create heaver elements. At the high temperatures in the centers of stars the fusion reactions that power the stars convert hydrogen and helium into other elements up to iron. It is theorized that elements heaver than iron are created when a large star explodes in a supernova event. A second theory is that the heaver elements are produced by a process called neutron capture. Given a neutron flux in a massive star, heavier isotopes can be produced by this neutron capture process. It is referred to as the “s-process” by astronomers (for “slow” neutron capture).
