Can protons be added to an atom to create heavier elements like gold, or are they only created in supernovae?
In: Planetary Science
They absolutely can be–but the process is so energy-hungry that there’s no point in doing so except for research purposes. At least, for materials that can just be dug out of the ground.
Supernovae produce ridiculous temperatures and physical forces–that’s what causes the fusion. Anything that can pump enough energy into something (like a particle accelerator, for example) can do the same.
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