carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle
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Tweet n. A cyclic chain of thermonuclear reactions in which carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen nuclei successively fuse with hydrogen nuclei and undergo proton decay, emitting positrons, neutrinos, or gamma rays in the process, with each completion of the cycle converting four hydrogen nuclei into one helium nucleus and leaving the number of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms unchanged. The cycle generates significant amounts of energy and is thought to be the primary reaction fueling main-sequence stars more massive and hotter than the sun. Also called Bethe cycle, carbon cycle, carbon-nitrogen cycle, CNO cycle. |
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