Abstract
It is suggested that the spontaneous fission of with a half-life of 55 days is responsible for the form of the decay light-curves of supernovae of Type I which have an exponential form with a half-life of 55 nights. The way in which may be synthesized in a supernova outburst, and reasons why the energy released by its decay may dominate all others are discussed. The presence of Tc in red giant stars and of Cf in Type I supernovae appears to be observational evidence that neutron capture processes on both a slow and a fast time-scale have been necessary to synthesize the heavy elements in their observed cosmic abundances.
- Received 17 May 1956
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.103.1145
©1956 American Physical Society