Editing Silicon-burning process (section)

{{Short description|Very brief sequence of nuclear fusion reactions that occur in massive stars}}
In [[astrophysics]], '''silicon burning''' is a very brief<ref name="WoosleyJanka">{{cite journal | last1=Woosley | first1=S.  | last2=Janka | first2=T. | title=The physics of core collapse supernovae | year=2006 | arxiv=astro-ph/0601261 | doi=10.1038/nphys172 | volume=1 | issue=3  | journal=Nature Physics | pages=147–154|bibcode = 2005NatPh...1..147W | citeseerx=10.1.1.336.2176  | s2cid=118974639 }}</ref> sequence of [[nuclear fusion]] reactions that occur in massive [[star]]s with a minimum of about 8–11 solar masses. [[Silicon]] burning is the final stage of fusion for massive stars that have run out of the fuels that power them for their long lives in the [[main sequence]] on the [[Hertzsprung–Russell diagram]]. It follows the previous stages of  [[Hydrogen-burning process|hydrogen]], [[triple-alpha process|helium]], [[carbon-burning process|carbon]], [[neon-burning process|neon]] and [[oxygen-burning process|oxygen]] burning processes.

Silicon burning begins when gravitational contraction raises the star's core temperature to 2.7–3.5 billion kelvins ([[Gigakelvin|GK]]). The exact temperature depends on mass. When a star has completed the silicon-burning phase, no further fusion is possible. The star catastrophically collapses and may explode in what is known as a [[Type II supernova]].