An international team of researchers led by the University of Surrey has successfully measured a nuclear reaction that plays a critical role in the formation of the universe’s heaviest elements.“The study provides new insight into how the universe’s heaviest elements are forged – and could even drive advancements in nuclear reactor physics,” stated the team in a press release. Notably, it was a previously theorized process, but the latest breakthrough provides the first direct experimental information for the “weak r-process.”The “weak r-process” is a part of the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process) believed to be responsible for the creation of elements heavier than iron in extreme astrophysical environments.“The weak r-process plays a crucial role in the formation of heavy elements, which astronomers have observed in ancient stars—celestial fossils that carry the chemical fingerprints of perhaps only one prior cataclysmic event, like a supernova or neutron star merger,” said Dr. Matthew Williams, lead author of the study from the University of Surrey.
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