The study of the formation of cosmic elements in various astrophysical sites attracts researchers from astrophysics, nuclear physics, meteroritics and many other disciplines. Articles from international specialists in all these fields are presented in this book; these are drawn together from a conference held in Paris in 1992 in honour of Hubert Reeves, a profound contributor to the study of the origin of the cosmic elements.
Stellar and primordial nucleosynthesis, cosmic ray spallation and other processes involved in the formation of cosmic elements are reviewed. Recent observational data are presented on the abundances of elements in various astrophysical objects together with data on the nuclear reactions thought to be involved. The implications of all these developments for the evolution of stars and galaxies and the origin of our solar system and the universe are also discussed. Several review articles summarise the current knowledge and others address more topical issues making this text suitable for both graduate students and researchers.
