In massive stars, what fusion products immediately follow the initial helium burning into carbon and oxygen?
Answer
The star begins fusing carbon, then neon, then oxygen, and finally silicon.
For stars significantly more massive than the Sun, the increased core temperature and gravitational pressure after hydrogen exhaustion allows for subsequent, more energetic fusion cycles in a layered burning structure. Following the initial fusion of helium into carbon and oxygen, the massive star's core temperature continues to rise sufficiently to ignite the carbon. This process is sequential and rapid: carbon fuses, then neon ignites, followed by oxygen, and finally silicon. This entire chain of layered burning, which generates heavier elements, is much faster than the initial hydrogen burning phase, culminating in the creation of an iron core.
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