Silicon-burning process
nuclear fusion reaction sequence in stars of about 8–11 solar masses or more, starting with ²⁸Si+⁴He→³²S
In astrophysics, silicon burning is a very brief sequence of nuclear fusion reactions that occur in massive stars with a minimum of about 8–11 solar masses. Silicon burning is the final stage of fusion for massive stars that have run out of the fuels that power them for their long lives in the main sequence on the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. It follows the previous stages of hydrogen, helium, carbon, neon and oxygen burning processes.
Silicon burning begins when gravitational contraction raises the star's core temperature to 2.7–3.5 billion kelvin (GK). The exact temperature depends on mass. When a star has completed the silicon-burning phase, no further fusion is possible. The star catastrophically collapses and may explode in what is known as a Type II supernova. The silicon-burning process is extremely brief: for a 25-solar mass star, the period lasts 5 days, compared to a prior 10 million years of hydrogen burning. Early stages of the silicon-burning process are theorized to occur in the accretion disk of stellar black holes, especially below 10 solar masses.
Nuclear fusion sequence and silicon photodisintegration
After a star completes the oxygen-burning process, its core is composed primarily of silicon and sulfur.
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