section_path: External impact/Source of heavy elements
section_name: Source of heavy elements
paragraph_text: Source of heavy elements
  
  Supernovae are a major source of elements in the interstellar medium from oxygen through to rubidium, though the theoretical abundances of the elements produced or seen in the spectra varies significantly depending on the various supernova types. Type Ia supernovae produce mainly silicon and iron-peak elements, metals such as nickel and iron. Core collapse supernovae eject much smaller quantities of the iron-peak elements than type Ia supernovae, but larger masses of light alpha elements such as oxygen and neon, and elements heavier than zinc. The latter is especially true with electron capture supernovae. The bulk of the material ejected by type II supernovae is hydrogen and helium. The heavy elements are produced by: nuclear fusion for nuclei up to S; silicon photodisintegration rearrangement and quasiequilibrium during silicon burning for nuclei between Ar and Ni; and rapid capture of neutrons (r-process) during the supernova's collapse for elements heavier than iron. The r-process produces highly unstable nuclei that are rich in neutrons and that rapidly beta decay into more stable forms. In supernovae, r-process reactions are responsible for about half of all the isotopes of elements beyond iron, although neutron star mergers may be the main astrophysical source for many of these elements.
  
  In the modern universe, old asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are the dominant source of dust from oxides, carbon and s-process elements. However, in the early universe, before AGB stars formed, supernovae may have been the main source of dust.