339 research outputs found
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
A two-dimensional mixing length theory of convective transport
The helioseismic observations of the internal rotation profile of the Sun
raise questions about the two-dimensional (2D) nature of the transport of
angular momentum in stars. Here we derive a convective prescription for
axisymmetric (2D) stellar evolution models. We describe the small scale motions
by a spectrum of unstable linear modes in a Boussinesq fluid. Our saturation
prescription makes use of the angular dependence of the linear dispersion
relation to estimate the anisotropy of convective velocities. We are then able
to provide closed form expressions for the thermal and angular momentum fluxes
with only one free parameter, the mixing length.
We illustrate our prescription for slow rotation, to first order in the
rotation rate. In this limit, the thermodynamical variables are spherically
symetric, while the angular momentum depends both on radius and latitude. We
obtain a closed set of equations for stellar evolution, with a self-consistent
description for the transport of angular momentum in convective regions. We
derive the linear coefficients which link the angular momentum flux to the
rotation rate (- effect) and its gradient (-effect). We
compare our results to former relevant numerical work.Comment: MNRAS accepted, 10 pages, 1 figure, version prior to language editio
The C-flash and the ignition conditions of type Ia supernovae
Thanks to a stellar evolution code able to compute through the
C-flash we link the binary population synthesis of single degenerate
progenitors of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) to their physical condition at the
time of ignition. We show that there is a large range of possible ignition
densities and we detail how their probability distribution depends on the
accretion properties. The low density peak of this distribution qualitatively
reminds of the clustering of the luminosities of Branch-normal SNe Ia. We
tighten the possible range of initial physical conditions for explosion models:
they form a one-parameter family, independent of the metallicity. We discuss
how these results may be modified if we were to relax our hypothesis of a
permanent Hachisu wind or if we were to include electron captures.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figures, MNRAS accepte
The effect of different opacity data and chemical element mixture on the Petersen diagram
The Petersen diagram is a frequently used tool to constrain model parameters
such as metallicity of radial double-mode pulsators. In this diagram the period
ratio of the radial first overtone to the fundamental mode, P_1/P_0, is plotted
against the period of the fundamental mode. The period ratio is sensitive to
the chemical composition as well as to the rotational velocity of a star. In
the present study we compute stellar pulsation models to demonstrate the
sensitivity of the radial period ratio to the opacity data (OPAL and OP tables)
and we also examine the effect of different relative abundances of heavy
elements. We conclude that the comparison with observed period ratios could be
used successfully to test the opacity data.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; to be published in the Proceedings of
the Conference 'Unsolved Problems in Stellar Physics', Cambridge, 2-6 July
200
Statistical Description of a Magnetized Corona above a Turbulent Accretion Disk
We present a physics-based statistical theory of a force-free magnetic field
in the corona above a turbulent accretion disk. The field is represented by a
statistical ensemble of loops tied to the disk. Each loop evolves under several
physical processes: Keplerian shear, turbulent random walk of the disk
footpoints, and reconnection with other loops. To build a statistical
description, we introduce the distribution function of loops over their sizes
and construct a kinetic equation that governs its evolution. This loop kinetic
equation is formally analogous to Boltzmann's kinetic equation, with loop-loop
reconnection described by a binary collision integral. A dimensionless
parameter is introduced to scale the (unknown) overall rate of reconnection
relative to Keplerian shear. After solving for the loop distribution function
numerically, we calculate self-consistently the distribution of the mean
magnetic pressure and dissipation rate with height, and the equilibrium shapes
of loops of different sizes. We also compute the energy and torque associated
with a given loop, as well as the total magnetic energy and torque in the
corona. We explore the dependence of these quantities on the reconnection
parameter and find that they can be greatly enhanced if reconnection between
loops is suppressed.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figures. Submitted to the Astrophysical Journa
Overshoot inwards from the bottom of the intershell convective zone in (S)AGB stars
We estimate the extent of overshooting inwards from the bottom of the
intershell convective zone in thermal pulses in (S)AGB stars. We find that the
buoyancy is so strong that any overshooting should be negligible. The
temperature inversion at the bottom of the convective zone adds to the
stability of the region. Any mixing that occurs in this region is highly
unlikely to be due to convective overshooting, and so must be due to another
process
Jet Collimation by Small-Scale Magnetic Fields
A popular model for jet collimation is associated with the presence of a
large-scale and predominantly toroidal magnetic field originating from the
central engine (a star, a black hole, or an accretion disk). Besides the
problem of how such a large-scale magnetic field is generated, in this model
the jet suffers from the fatal long-wave mode kink magnetohydrodynamic
instability. In this paper we explore an alternative model: jet collimation by
small-scale magnetic fields. These magnetic fields are assumed to be local,
chaotic, tangled, but are dominated by toroidal components. Just as in the case
of a large-scale toroidal magnetic field, we show that the ``hoop stress'' of
the tangled toroidal magnetic fields exerts an inward force which confines and
collimates the jet. The magnetic ``hoop stress'' is balanced either by the gas
pressure of the jet, or by the centrifugal force if the jet is spinning. Since
the length-scale of the magnetic field is small (< the cross-sectional radius
of the jet << the length of the jet), in this model the jet does not suffer
from the long-wave mode kink instability. Many other problems associated with
the large-scale magnetic field are also eliminated or alleviated for
small-scale magnetic fields. Though it remains an open question how to generate
and maintain the required small-scale magnetic fields in a jet, the scenario of
jet collimation by small-scale magnetic fields is favored by the current study
on disk dynamo which indicates that small-scale magnetic fields are much easier
to generate than large-scale magnetic fields.Comment: 14 pages, no figur
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