Abstract:
We present a review of a scenario connecting the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements to cosmology. After discussing briefly the big bang nucleosynthesis, we summarize the results of observation of the heavy elements in extremely metal poor stars usually attributed to the rprocess nucleosynthesis. The learn effect of this discussion is to emphasize that the r-process nucleosynthesis was incomplete during the early phase of the galaxy. The production of the heavy nuclei of first peak of the r-process abundance distribution as observed in very metal-poor stars is not explained in a standard scenario of the r-process. It seems that the r-process consists of a weak component and a main component, similar to what is known in case the s-process nucleosynthesis. However this similarity is only formal, since the production site of the weak r-process component is different and more complicated than the weak s-process component. We also mention that the present discussion has relevance to the so called near field cosmology. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.