and primarily photon-induced decay or (?,?) reactions loop the path back onto itself. Therefore, an rp-process would only be able to produce nuclei with mass numbers up to 106 or 107. After this, further proton captures result in prompt proton emission or alpha emission, and thus the proton flux is consumed without yielding heavier elements; this end process is known as the tin-antimony-tellurium cycle, which that more recent source claims is not actually reached.

Conditions