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Chapter 12 Stellar Evolution
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Infrared Image of Helix Nebula
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Mass and Stellar Fate Low mass stars end life quietly Massive stars end life violently Massive - more than 8X M
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Core-hydrogen burning Main sequence stars fuse H into He On main sequence for over 90% of life Hydrostatic equilibrium - pressure and gravity balance
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Figure 12.1 Hydrostatic Equilibrium
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Evolution of a sun-like star Stages 1 - 6 (pre - main sequence) Stage 7 - main sequence Stages 8 - 14 (post main sequence)
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Stages 8 and 9 Stage 8 - Subgiant branch Stage 9 - Red Giant branch H depleted at center, He core grows Core pressure decreases, gravity doesn’t He core contracts, H shell burning increases Star’s radius increases, surface cools, luminosity increases
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Figure 12.2 Solar Composition Change
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Figure 12.3 Hydrogen Shell Burning
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Figure 12.4 Red Giant on the H-R Diagram
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Stage 10 - Helium Fusion Red Giant core contracts (no nuclear burning there) Central temperature reaches 10 8 K Fusion of He starts abruptly - Helium flash for a few hours Star re-adjusts over 100,000 years from stage 9 to 10 H and He burning with C core - horizontal branch
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Figure 12.5 Horizontal Branch
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Figure 12.6 Helium Shell Burning
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Stage 11 - Back to Giant Branch C core contracts (no nuclear burning there) Gravitational heating H and He burning increases Radius and luminosity increases
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Figure 12.7 Reascending the Giant Branch
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Table 12.1 Evolution of a Sun-like Star
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Figure 12.8L G-Type Star Evolution
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Figure 12.8R G-Type Star Evolution
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Death of a low mass star For solar mass star, core temperature not high enough for C fusion Outer layers drift away into space Core contracts, heats up UV radiation ionizes surrounding gas Stage 12 - A planetary nebula (nothing to do with planets)
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Figure 12.9 Planetary Nebulae
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Other elements As red giant dies, other elements created in core O, Ne, Mg Enrich interstellar medium as surface layers ejected
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Dense matter Carbon core shrinks and stabilizes Core density 10 10 kg/m 3 1000 kg in one cm 3 Pauli Exclusion Principle keeps free electrons from getting any closer together This is a different sort of pressure
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Stage 13 - White Dwarf Red giant envelope recedes C core becomes visible as a white dwarf Approximately size of earth, 1/2 mass of sun White-hot surface, but dim (small size) Glow by stored heat, no nuclear reactions Fades in time to a black dwarf - stage 14
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Figure 12.10 White Dwarf on an H-R Diagram
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Table 12.2 Sirius B – A Nearby White Dwarf
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Figure 12.11 Sirius Binary System
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Figure 12.12 Distant White Dwarfs
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Novae Plural of nova Some white dwarfs become explosively active Rapid increase in luminosity
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Figure 12.13ab Nova Herculis a) March 1935 b) May 1935
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Figure 12.13c Nova
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Nova explanation White dwarf in a binary Gravitation tears material from companion, forming accretion disk around white dwarf Material heats until H fuses Surface burning brief and violent Novae can be recurrent
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Figure 12.14 Close Binary System
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Figure 12.15 Nova Matter Ejection
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Evolution of High-Mass Stars All main sequence stars move toward red-giant phase More massive stars can fuse C and other heavier elements Evolutionary tracks are more horizontal 4 M star can fuse C 15 M star can fuse C, O, Ne, Mg and become a red supergiant
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Figure 12.16 High-Mass Evolutionary Tracks
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Evolution of 4 M star No He flash Hot enough to fuse C Can’t fuse beyond C Ends as a white dwarf
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Evolution of 15 M star Rapid evolution Becomes red supergiant Fuses H, He, C, O, Ne, Mg, Si Inner core of iron
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Figure 12.17 Heavy-Element Fusion
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Figure 12.18 Mass Loss from Supergiants
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Examples in Orion Rigel - blue supergiant 70 R , 50,000X luminosity of sun Originally 17 M Betelgeuse - red supergiant 10,000X luminosity of sun in visible light Originally 12 to 17 M
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High mass fast evolution Consider 20 M star Fuses H for 10 million y Fuses He for 1 million y Fuses C for 1000 y Fuses O for one year Fuses Si for one week Fe core grows for less than a day
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Death of high mass star - 1 Fe fusion doesn’t produce energy Pressure decreases at core Gravitational collapse Core temperature reaches nearly 10 billion K High energy photons break nuclei into protons and neutrons - photodisintegration Reduced pressure, accelerated collapse
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Death of high mass star - 2 Electrons + protons neutrons and neutrinos Density 10 12 kg/m 3 Neutrinos escape, taking away energy Further collapse to 10 15 kg/m 3 Neutrons packed together slow further collapse Overshoots to 10 18 kg/m 3, then rebounds Shock wave ejects overlying material into space Core collapse supernova
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Figure 12.19 Supernova 1987A
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Table 12.3 End Points of Evolution for Stars of Different Masses
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Novae and Supernovae Nova - explosion on white dwarf surface in a binary system Supernova - exploding high mass star Million times brighter than nova Billions of times brighter than sun Supernova in several months radiates as much as our sun in 10 billion years
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Types of Supernovae Type I - very little H Sharp rise in brightness, gradual fall Type II - H rich Plateau in light curve Roughly half Type I and half Type II
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Figure 12.20 Supernova Light Curves
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Type II Supernovae Core collapse as previously described Expanding layers of H and He
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Type I Supernovae Accretion disk around white dwarf can nova Some material adds to white dwarf Below 1.4 M (Chandrasekhar mass), electrons support white dwarf Above 1.4 M , white dwarf collapses Rapid heating, C suddenly fuses throughout Carbon-detonation supernova Also possible for two white dwarfs to merge
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Figure 12.21 Two Types of Supernova
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Supernovae summary Type I - carbon detonation of white dwarf exceeding 1.4 M Type II - core collapse of massive star, rebound and ejection of material All high mass stars Type II supernova Only some low mass stars Type I supernova Low mass stars much more common than high mass Type I and II about equally likely
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Figure 12.22 Supernova Remnants
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Heavy Element Formation All H and most He is primordial Other elements produced through stellar evolution
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Stellar evolution in star clusters All stars the same age Snapshot at one time
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Figure 12.23 Cluster Evolution on the H-R Diagram
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Figure 12.24 Newborn Cluster H-R Diagram
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Figure 12.25 Young Cluster H-R Diagram
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Figure 12.26 Old Cluster H-R Diagram
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Figure 12.27 Stellar Recycling
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