Specific term required. In 1987, Chakrabarti et. al. theorized that this process could occur in thick accretion disks around black holes. For 10 points each:
[10m] Name this general process that can occur through cosmic ray spallation. The landmark B2FH paper provided experimental evidence of the “r” and “s” types of this process for elements heavier than iron.
ANSWER: nucleosynthesis [or nucleogenesis; accept stellar nucleosynthesis]
[10e] Prior to B2FH, the Alpher–Bethe–Gamow (“AL-fur-BAY-tuh-GAM-off”) paper posited that nucleosynthesis caused by this event explains the relative abundance of elements in the universe. This event initiated the rapid expansion of the universe.
ANSWER: Big Bang [accept Big Bang theory or Big Bang nucleosynthesis; prompt on BBN]
[10h] The relative abundances of elements predicted by Big Bang nucleosynthesis is determined by this parameter symbolized eta, whose small order of magnitude explains why isotopes heavier than helium-4 are extremely rare.
ANSWER: baryon-to-photon ratio [or baryon/photon ratio; accept equivalents like the ratio between baryons and photons]
<Steven Yuan, Other Science>