Nuclear clusters as the first stepping stones for the chemical evolution of the universe

Abstract

It is a well-established fact that the generation of the heavy elements occurred in stars—the Cauldrons of the Cosmos—via multiple complex nuclear reaction processes during stellar life and death. This paper will address the question of the first step, the formation of heavier elements such as carbon and oxygen from the primordial elemental abundance distribution in first stars. This nucleosynthesis can be facilitated by nuclear clustering of primordial isotopes in hot and highly convective first stars, provided that a helium rich or hydrogen depleted environment is available. The paper will summarize the associated nuclear reactions and the nucleosynthesis paths linking $$^4$$ He to $$^{12}$$ C. This will be based on an analysis of new experimental data for several of the anticipated nuclear reactions, and the role they might play at different temperature and density conditions in first star matter.