Stellar Evolution Physics

This volume explains the microscopic physics operating in stars in advanced stages of their evolution and describes with many numerical examples and illustrations how they respond to this microphysics. Models of low and intermediate mass are evolved through the core helium-burning phase, the asymptotic giant branch phase (alternating shell hydrogen and helium burning) and through the final cooling white dwarf phase. A massive model is carried from the core helium-burning phase through core and shell carbon-burning phases. Gravothermal responses to nuclear reaction-induced transformations and energy loss from the surface are described in detail. Written for senior graduate students and researchers who have mastered the principles of stellar evolution, as developed in the first volume of Stellar Evolution Physics, sufficient attention is paid to how numerical solutions are obtained to enable the reader to engage in model construction on a professional level.

Title from publishers bibliographic system (viewed on 19 Dec 2012).

Stellar Evolution Physics ; Preface ; Part IV Transport processes, weak interaction processes, and helium-burning reactions ; 12 Particle diffusion and gravitational settling ; 12.1 Moments of the Boltzmann transport equation for a species under conditions of complete equilibrium.

12.2 A monoelemental gas in complete equilibrium at constant temperature in a constant gravitational field 12.3 Diffusion velocities and moments in a multicomponent gas in a gravitational field ; 12.4 The strength of the electrostatic field when equilibrium with respect to diffusion prevails.

12.7 Inclusion of electron-flow properties and ion -- electron interactions and determination of diffusion velocities 12.8 Generalization to multicomponent gas ; 12.9 Gravitational diffusion velocities for helium and iron at the base of the convective envelope of solar models.

12.10 More diffusion velocities below the base of the convective envelope of a solar model 12.11 Equations for abundance changes due to diffusion and solution algorithms ; Bibliography and references ; 13 Heat conduction by electrons ; 13.1 The basic physics of thermal diffusion.