Iron represents the most stable configuration of protons and neutrons, combined, of any atomic nucleus yet discovered. At only element 26, however, it represents the end-of-the-line for most ...

Iron represents the most stable configuration of protons and neutrons, combined, of any atomic nucleus yet discovered. At only element 26, however, it represents the end-of-the-line for most fusion ...

In an environment packed with excess energy (like a supernova), a small fraction of this energy may be used to bind free neutrons to iron atoms. One of the neutrons in the nucleus decays (or ...

Many heavier-than-iron elements form via the so-called r -process, where r refers to rapid neutron capture. This process occurs when two neutron stars merge, creating an abundance of free neutrons.

Astrophysicists believe that elements heavier than iron are created in violent processes such as the explosions of massive stars and the mergers of neutron stars. One way that this is thought to occur ...