PCS 181 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Neutrino, Planetary Nebula, Carbon-Burning Process
23 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Manner of death is determined by star"s mass. These are normal stars 95% of stars are in this category: core runs low on hydrogen fuel. No more nuclear reactions in core of star. Star dies with a compressed carbon (some oxygen) core. Planetary nebula= dying/dead star remnant surrounded by a shell of ejected gases. Central remnant core= white dwarf small, very hot, plots on lower left of hr diagram. 500 white dwarfs our mw galaxy must contain billions of them. Evolutionary stages of a massive star ( 25 mo) Star undergoes several red giant phases, producing ever-heavier elements in core. When star has an iron core, iron will not fuse outward radiation pressure decreases. Star collapses inward, squashing core to fantastic densities. This inward pressure dissociates core iron into constituent particles: neutrons, protons, electrons. Protons and electrons are forced to merge to produce neutrons.
