Physics
Scientific paper
Mar 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994acs..meet...13n&link_type=abstract
Presented at the 207th Spring National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Diego, CA, 13-18 Mar. 1994
Physics
Cosmochemistry, Heavy Elements, Nuclear Fusion, Reaction Products, Stellar Composition, Stellar Evolution, Stellar Physics, Stellar Luminosity, Stellar Models, Stellar Spectra
Scientific paper
What makes the stars shine? This question puzzled human beings for thousands of years. Early in this century, chemists and physicists discovered radioactivity, and the nuclear model of the atom was developed. Once nuclear reactions were produced in the laboratory, it did not take long before their role in stellar energy generation was realized. The theory that nuclear fusion is the source of stellar energy was initially developed in the 1930's and was elaborated in detail in the 1950's. Only within the last ten years, however, have astronomical observations provided direct confirmation of these theoretical ideas. In this paper, I describe the sequences of nuclear reactions that are believed to be responsible for the power generation in stars. The ashes of these reactions are the heavy elements that we find on earth and throughout the universe. The evolution and final fates of stars are examined. The key astronomical observations that provide support for these theoretical ideas are presented.
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