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I am interested in learning about big bang nucleosynthesis, nuclear fusion up to iron in stellar cores and beyond iron in supernovas, and into the lithium problem (galactic abundance anomoly for atomic numbers 3,4,5). As these topics are interlinked, I have been hoping to find good resources on the subject. Can anyone recommend a good source for self-study? In case it's relevant (regarding difficulty level), I'm a physics grad student lacking exposure to related topics.

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I highly recommend Nucleosynthesis and Chemical Evolution of Galaxies by Bernard Pagel. It contains the basics of nuclear reactions andstellar evolution, chapters on big bang nucleosynthesis and light element production, as well as covering the broad swathe of stellar nucleoynthesis and how these link together into predicting the chemical evolution of galaxies.

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  • $\begingroup$ Checked out a preview and I like it. Thanks for the suggestion. $\endgroup$
    – user15317
    May 6, 2017 at 22:06
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My copy of "Principles of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis" by Donald D. Clayton is from 1968, but it covers what you're interested in and is intended for a graduate-level course. It's also well-written.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for the rec, I will look into it. Just a thought, but hasn't our knowledge of nuclear reactions progressed a lot since 1968? $\endgroup$
    – user15317
    May 25, 2017 at 0:28
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, however most of what the author presents as needing more study turned out to be true. A newer (1996) and also good & at the right level is David Arnett's "Supernovae and Nucleosynthesis." I don't have the most modern books because ~$150 each is a bit much when I only read them recreationally. $\endgroup$
    – Fantastic Barnsmell
    May 27, 2017 at 15:07

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