Abstract
The possibility of the production of putative superdense nuclei (SDNs) in the universe is studied with the assumption that the SDNs can certainly be formed when nucleons are compressed over some critical density. Possible nuclear astrophysical processes for SDN production taking place in the early big-bang universe, in interstellar space and in ejection from neutron stars are investigated. It is found that the SDNs cannot be produced at all in a hot universe regardless of the properties of SDNs. The situation that would occur in a cold universe is also discussed. A finite amount of SDNs is found to be formed in interstellar space as the product of high-energy reactions between primary cosmic rays and interstellar matter. It also becomes clear that the astration of SDNs thus formed plays no essential role for the enhancement of the number of SDNs. On the other hand, the SDNs originating from neutron stars are estimated to have a cosmic abundance relative to Si as high as 8 × 10 −8−−5, which is, apparently, in contradiction with observations. Some implications of this are discussed.
Published Version
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