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Supernovae synthesize some elements heavier than iron and eject them into space.

The Claim

Supernova explosions create and scatter elements heavier than iron across space.

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The Short Version

The evidence shows that supernovae do both produce some elements heavier than iron and disperse them through space. NASA, DOE, and review literature support that role in nucleosynthesis and galactic enrichment. The main caveat is that supernovae are not the only major source of heavy elements, and may not be the dominant source for the very heaviest r-process elements.

Caveats

  • Do not read the claim as saying supernovae are the primary or exclusive source of all elements heavier than iron.
  • Neutron-star mergers are now strongly supported as a major, likely dominant, source of the heaviest r-process elements.
  • Many elements heavier than iron also come from other processes, including the s-process in evolved stars, not only from supernova explosions.

The Receipts

  1. DOE Explains...Supernovae | Department of Energy

    U.S. Department of Energy

  2. Background: Dispersion of Elements - Imagine the Universe!

    NASA

  3. The r-Process: History, Required Conditions, Astrophysical Sites and the Role of Nuclear Physics

    arXiv

  4. Origin of the heaviest elements: The rapid neutron-capture process

    Reviews of Modern Physics (via ADS)

  5. Supernovae: What are they?

    NASA

  6. Origin of the Chemical Elements

    NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED)

  7. Stellar Evolution

    Chandra X-ray Observatory (NASA)

  8. The Origin and Distribution of the Elements

    The Astrophysical Journal

  9. Elements in the Aftermath

    NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

  10. The r-Process of Stellar Nucleosynthesis: Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics Achievements and Mysteries

    Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science (via ADS)

+ 17 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

IronNucleosynthesisSupernova

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