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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.1 1 snapshots and timescales
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.2 Hertzsprung - Russell diagram
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.3 NGC 2266
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.4 Open cluster HR diagrams
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.5 Open cluster HR diagrams TO MS gap GBMS Main Sequence TO Turn-off gap Hertzsprung Gap GB Giant Branch
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.6 47 Tuc – SALT optical
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.7 47 Tuc – Chandra X-ray
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.8 Cen - Kitt Peak
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.9 Cen - HST
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.10 M5 – optical
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.11 M5 Colour-Magnitude Diagram
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.12 Hertzsprung - Russell diagram
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.13 some definitions Mstellar mass (M / M ) Rstellar radius (R / R ) Lstellar luminosity (L / L ) T eff effective temperature (K) = ( L / 4 R 2 ) 1/4 g surface gravity = GM/R 2 X,Y,Zmass fractions of H, He and other elements tage The Sun M = 1 M = 1.99 10 30 kg R = 1 R = 6.96 10 8 m L = 1 L = 3.86 10 26 W T eff = 5780 K g = 2.74 10 2 m s -2 X = 0.71 Y = 0.265 Z = 0.025 t ~ 4.6 10 9 y
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.14 some observational facts temperature-luminosity L ~ T eff where: ~0.4 mass-luminosity L ~ M where: ~3.8 Our theory of stellar structure must reproduce both these results
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.15 stellar timescales Stars such as the Sun clearly do not change their properties rapidly. So how fast can they change ? Dynamically – free-fall Thermally – radiative cooling Chemically – nucleosynthesis Radiatively – diffusion
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.16 dynamical (free-fall) time the time required for a body to fall through a distance of the order R under the influence of a (constant) gravitational acceleration equal to the surface gravity of a star of mass M t ff ~ (2/3 G ) -1/2 ~ 2.2 10 3 (R 3 /M) 1/2 s where R and M are in solar units. also: the characteristic time for a significant departure from hydrostatic equilibrium to alter the state of a star appreciably, the time taken for a body orbiting at the surface of the star to make one complete revolution, the time for a sound wave to propagate through the star Rearranging, we obtain the period mean density relation: ~ (G ) -1/2 ~.04 / ( / ) -1/2
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.17 thermal (Kelvin) time the time required for a body to radiate its total heat energy E kin t K ~ E kin / L E kin is related to E grav by the Virial theorem E kin = –(1/2) E grav. But E grav = –q GM 2 / R, where q ~ unity, so that t K = q/2 GM 2 / LR ~ 3 10 7 qM 2 /LR y where M, L and R are in solar units. The “Kelvin time” is the relaxation time for departure of a star from thermal equilibrium. Also the time required for a star to contract from infinite dispersion to its present radius at constant L.
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.18 nuclear time the fusion of four protons to create an alpha-particle releases energy Q ~ 26MeV total available nuclear energy E nuc =q M/4m p. Q q ~ unity represents fraction of the star available as nuclear fuel. ‘nuclear time’ is simply the time taken to radiate this energy t nuc = E nuc / L hydrogen-burning in main-sequence stars, t nuc ~ 1 10 11 q (M/M ) / (L/L ) y
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.19 radiative energy transport R D 1 2 N
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.20 diffusion time Energy liberated as photons interacts by a series of scattering collisions, mainly with electrons. Scattering is isotropic, so energy transport is most correctly described by the diffusion equation. If the photon-path is a random-walk of N steps, each of length, the total distance travelled is d=N, but the nett distance travelled is D 2 =N 2 To escape, the photon must travel a distance R, which will take t diff R 2 / c ~ 5 10 5 R y Compare the escape time for noninteracting particles (eg neutrinos): t esc = R / c = 2.3 R s R in solar units.
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.21 comparative timescales
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Stellar Structure: TCD 2006: 1.22 1 snapshots and timescales -- review The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram Clusters: Open, Globular Features: Main Sequence, Turnoff, Giant Branch Empirical Relations: Mass-Luminosity, Mass-Radius Timescales: Dynamical, Thermal, Nuclear
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