1,331 research outputs found
Deep Mixing of He-3: Reconciling Big Bang and Stellar Nucleosynthesis
Low-mass stars, ~1-2 solar masses, near the Main Sequence are efficient at
producing He-3, which they mix into the convective envelope on the giant branch
and should distribute into the Galaxy by way of envelope loss. This process is
so efficient that it is difficult to reconcile the low observed cosmic
abundance of He-3 with the predictions of both stellar and Big Bang
nucleosynthesis. In this paper we find, by modeling a red giant with a fully
three-dimensional hydrodynamic code and a full nucleosynthetic network, that
mixing arises in the supposedly stable and radiative zone between the
hydrogen-burning shell and the base of the convective envelope. This mixing is
due to Rayleigh-Taylor instability within a zone just above the
hydrogen-burning shell, where a nuclear reaction lowers the mean molecular
weight slightly. Thus we are able to remove the threat that He-3 production in
low-mass stars poses to the Big Bang nucleosynthesis of He-3.Comment: Accepted by Science, and available from Science Express onlin
Compulsory Deep Mixing of 3He and CNO Isotopes in the Envelopes of low-mass Red Giants
Three-dimensional stellar modeling has enabled us to identify a deep-mixing
mechanism that must operate in all low mass giants. This mixing process is not
optional, and is driven by a molecular weight inversion created by the
3He(3He,2p)4He reaction. In this paper we characterize the behavior of this
mixing, and study its impact on the envelope abundances. It not only eliminates
the problem of 3He overproduction, reconciling stellar and big bang
nucleosynthesis with observations, but solves the discrepancy between observed
and calculated CNO isotope ratios in low mass giants, a problem of more than 3
decades' standing. This mixing mechanism, which we call `-mixing',
operates rapidly (relative to the nuclear timescale of overall evolution, ~
10^8 yrs) once the hydrogen burning shell approaches the material homogenized
by the surface convection zone. In agreement with observations, Pop I stars
between 0.8 and 2.0\Msun develop 12C/13C ratios of 14.5 +/- 1.5, while Pop II
stars process the carbon to ratios of 4.0 +/- 0.5. In stars less than
1.25\Msun, this mechanism also destroys 90% to 95% of the 3He produced on the
main sequence.Comment: Final accepted version (submitted to Astrophys J in Jan 2007...
Approximate input physics for stellar modelling
We present a simple and efficient, yet reasonably accurate, equation of
state, which at the moderately low temperatures and high densities found in the
interiors of stars less massive than the Sun is substantially more accurate
than its predecessor by Eggleton, Faulkner & Flannery. Along with the most
recently available values in tabular form of opacities, neutrino loss rates,
and nuclear reaction rates for a selection of the most important reactions,
this provides a convenient package of input physics for stellar modelling. We
briefly discuss a few results obtained with the updated stellar evolution code.Comment: uuencoded compressed postscript. The preprint are also available at
http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/preprint/PrePrint.htm
The Zero Age Main Sequence of WIMP burners
We modify a stellar structure code to estimate the effect upon the main
sequence of the accretion of weakly interacting dark matter onto stars and its
subsequent annihilation. The effect upon the stars depends upon whether the
energy generation rate from dark matter annihilation is large enough to shut
off the nuclear burning in the star. Main sequence WIMP burners look much like
protostars moving on the Hayashi track, although they are in principle
completely stable. We make some brief comments about where such stars could be
found, how they might be observed and more detailed simulations which are
currently in progress. Finally we comment on whether or not it is possible to
link the paradoxically young OB stars found at the galactic centre with WIMP
burners.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figs. Matches published versio
The Evolutionary Status of SS433
We consider possible evolutionary models for SS 433. We assume that
common-envelope evolution is avoided if radiation pressure is able to expel
most of a super-Eddington accretion flow from a region smaller than the
accretor's Roche lobe. This condition is satisfied, at least initially, for
largely radiative donors with masses in the range 4-12 solar masses. For donors
more massive than about 5 solar masses, moderate mass ratios q = M_2/M_1 > 1
are indicated, thus tending to favor black-hole accretors. For lower mass
donors, evolutionary considerations do not distinguish between a neutron star
or black hole accretor. In all cases the mass transfer (and mass loss) rates
are much larger than the likely mass-loss rate in the precessing jets. Almost
all of the transferred mass is expelled at radii considerably larger than the
jet acceleration region, producing the "stationary" H-alpha line, the infrared
luminosity, and accounting for the low X-ray luminosity.Comment: 13 pages, Astrophysical Journal Letters, accepte
Extent of pollution in planet-bearing stars
(abridged) Search for planets around main-sequence (MS) stars more massive
than the Sun is hindered by their hot and rapidly spinning atmospheres. This
obstacle has been sidestepped by radial-velocity surveys of those stars on
their post-MS evolutionary track (G sub-giant and giant stars). Preliminary
observational findings suggest a deficiency of short-period hot Jupiters around
the observed post MS stars, although the total fraction of them with known
planets appears to increase with their mass. Here we consider the possibility
that some very close- in gas giants or a population of rocky planets may have
either undergone orbital decay or been engulfed by the expanding envelope of
their intermediate-mass host stars. If such events occur during or shortly
after those stars' main sequence evolution when their convection zone remains
relatively shallow, their surface metallicity can be significantly enhanced by
the consumption of one or more gas giants. We show that stars with enriched
veneer and lower-metallicity interior follow slightly modified evolution tracks
as those with the same high surface and interior metallicity. As an example, we
consider HD149026, a marginal post MS 1.3 Msun star. We suggest that its
observed high (nearly twice solar) metallicity may be confined to the surface
layer as a consequence of pollution by the accretion of either a planet similar
to its known 2.7-day-period Saturn-mass planet, which has a 70 Mearth compact
core, or a population of smaller mass planets with a comparable total amount of
heavy elements. It is shown that an enhancement in surface metallicity leads to
a reduction in effective temperature, in increase in radius and a net decrease
in luminosity. The effects of such an enhancement are not negligible in the
determinations of the planet's radius based on the transit light curves.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Ap
An evolutionary study of the pulsating subdwarf B eclipsing binary PG1336-018 (NY Vir)
The formation of subdwarf B (sdB) stars is not well understood within the
current framework of stellar single and binary evolution. In this study, we
focus on the formation and evolution of the pulsating sdB star in the very
short-period eclipsing binary PG1336-018. We aim at refining the formation
scenario of this unique system, so that it can be confronted with observations.
We probe the stellar structure of the progenitors of sdB stars in short-period
binaries using detailed stellar evolution calculations. Applying this to
PG1336-018 we reconstruct the common-envelope phase during which the sdB star
was formed. The results are interpreted in terms of the standard
common-envelope formalism (the alpha-formalism) based on the energy equation,
and an alternative description (the gamma-formalism) using the angular momentum
equation. We find that if the common-envelope evolution is described by the
alpha-formalism, the sdB progenitor most likely experienced a helium flash. We
then expect the sdB mass to be between 0.39 and 0.48 Msun, and the sdB
progenitor initial mass to be below ~2 Msun. However, the results for the
gamma-formalism are less restrictive, and a broader sdB mass range (0.3 - 0.8
Msun) is possible in this case. Future seismic mass determination will give
strong constraints on the formation of PG1336-018 and, in particular, on the CE
phase.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in A&
Planet Consumption and Stellar Metallicity Enhancements
The evolution of a giant planet within the stellar envelope of a
main-sequence star is investigated as a possible mechanism for enhancing the
stellar metallicities of the parent stars of extrasolar planetary systems.
Three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of a planet subject to impacting
stellar matter indicate that the envelope of a Jupiter-like giant planet can be
completely stripped in the outer stellar convection zone of a solar-mass star.
In contrast, Jupiter-like and less massive Saturn-like giant planets are able
to survive through the base of the convection zone of a 1.22 solar-mass star.
Although strongly dependent on details of planetary interior models, partial or
total dissolution of giant planets can result in significant enhancements in
the metallicity of host stars with masses between about 1.0 and 1.3 solar
masses. The implications of these results with regard to planetary orbital
migration are briefly discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, accepted for ApJ Letter
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