Cosmic nucleosynthesis: a multi-messenger challenge

Understand

The origins of the elements and isotopes of cosmic material is a critical aspect of understanding the evolution of the universe.

• Nucleosynthesis typically requires physical conditions of high temperatures and densities.
• These are found in the Big Bang, in the interiors of stars, and in explosions with their compressional shocks and high neutrino and neutron fluxes.
• Many different tools are available to disentangle the composition of cosmic matter, in material of extraterrestrial origins such as cosmic rays, meteorites, stardust grains, lunar and terrestrial sediments, and through astronomical observations across the electromagnetic spectrum.