silicon ‘burning’

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silicon ‘burning’ In stellar evolution, the process whereby silicon, with magnesium and sulphur, ‘burns’ at a temperature of around 3 × 109K, producing elements of the ‘iron peak’ (e.g. Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni). See CARBON ‘BURNING’; HELIUM ‘BURNING’; HYDROGEN ‘BURNING’; OXYGEN ‘BURNING’; and NUCLEOSYNTHESIS.

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