Problems and achievements of nuclear astrophysics. Pt. 4. Rapid neutron capture and tertiary processes of nucleosynthesis

A brief outline of the rapid neutron capture process is given; this process is responsible for the synthesis of heavy nuclides (up to the superheavy ones), and is usually located in supernovae. Two tertiary processes of nucleosynthesis: the p-process (regarded as being responsible for the production of rare, neutron-deficient species of heavy nuclides), and the iota-process (responsible for the production of the Li-Be-B group) are surveyed. Secondary changes of elemental and isotopic composition in synthesized matter may originate also from alpha-decay and spontaneous fission following the γ-process. Finally, some general conclusion from our study of the nucleosynthesis process are presented, with a brief list of related problems of nuclear astrophysics, which could be touched only very briefly in this series of reviews. (author)