Formation of super-heavy elements in astrophysical nucleosynthesis

The unexplored area of heavy neutron-rich nuclides is extremely important for the understanding of the r process of astrophysical nucleogenesis. For elements with Z>100 only neutron deficient isotopes (located to the left of the stability line) have been synthesized so far. The 'north-east' area of the nuclear map can be reached neither in fusion reactions nor in fragmentation processes. Low energy multi-nucleon transfer reactions are quite promising for the production and study of neutron-rich heavy nuclei including those located at the superheavy (SH) island of stability [1]. The neutron capture process is considered here as an alternative method for the production of SH nuclei. Requirements for the pulsed reactors of the next generation that could be used for the synthesis of long-living neutron rich SH nuclei are formulated. Formation of SH nuclei in supernova explosions is also discussed and the abundance of SH elements in nature is estimated.