M8 From The Universe To The Atom Flashcards
basic evolution of the universe
what happened after the big bang
Inflation
an extremely short period during which the universe expanded out from a single point
shortly after the BB, what happened in terms of mass
the universe did not have an increase in mass
as the universe rapidly expanded outward and occupying more space, the density of the universe decreased causing the universe to rapidly cool
some time after BB, matter was formed from
matter was formed from energy
(not hydrogen and helium atoms, antimatter or a continual process of annihilation)
what is annihilation
the transformation of matter to energy, it occurs when antimatter and matter pairs collide
when they collide, their mass returns to energy
how were stars initially formed
basic matter clumping together in free space
hundreds of millions of years after BB, the universe was relatively calm. once enough mass accrued into a single clump, its own sheer size initiated fusion inside of it, forming a star
what happens when stars die
stars under fusion inside their cores
fusion combines smaller elements into larger more complex ( heavy elements) ones to produce energy. when stars die, all the heavy elements formed inside their core are released into the universe
what is an AU
what is a solar mass
what does hubble’s law tell us
used to find out how fast a galaxy is moving away from us, given its distance away
hubble’s law graph
hubble’s law spectra
red shift - interpreted to mean that galaxies are receding away from us at very high velocities
what is a black body radiator
absorbs all incident EM radiation and will emit different amounts of each frequency of light
for a particular temperature, there is a unique spectrum emitted
what happens to spectral radiance as the wavelength of light emitted approaches zero
spectral radiance (intensity) approaches zero regardless of the temp of the body
there is no such thing as light with wavelength of zero
why are black bodies called that
from the fact that they absorb all colours of light
black bodies come in huge ranges of colours
a gas discharge produces a discrete spectrum of light
an incandescent lamp produces a continuous spectrum of light
identify an assumption of each model which determines the shape of its curve
classing stars TEMP
stars at a higher temp will emit radiation at a higher frequency and be bluer
classing stars LUMIOSITY
intrinsic brightness of a star is how much energy it gives off
brightness doesn’t take into account the distance
spectral class
highest temp to lowest classes
colour
OBAFGKM
temp range of stars
2000K - 50 000K
hertzsprung russell diagram
x axis
y axis
3 main groups
life of a star starting on main sequence
main sequence
red giant
yellow giant
red supergiant
planetary nebula
white dwarf
where are the hot/cold/bright/dim stars
most stars begin their lives and live most of their days on the main sequence
our sun on HR diagram
HR diagram giants
how bright? how hot?
stars migrate off the main sequence and reach later stages of life as giant
HR diagram white dwarves
how bright? how hot?
have very long lifetimes
HR diagram how to figure out mass
as mas increases, so does luminosity
if a star has more mass, its core is under a greater amount of pressure and fusion occurs more frequently
more fusion means more energy, which is more luminous star
y axis on HR diagram
shows luminosity RELATIVE to our Sun
how much energy a star outputs in each stage of their life
x axis on HR diagram
temperature in Kelvin
relate temp to its colour, spectral class and what kind of fusion within its core
white dwarves
extremely hot (as residual heat from previous stage) , however do not undergo any fusion, so they don’t produce any energy so they’re not luminous
as white dwarves age, where do they move on HR diagram
they are always cooling as they age
as their temp drops, they will move slowly to the right of HR diagram
age of the 3 main groups on HR diagram
main sequence
then they transition to red giants because they run out of hydrogen fuel for fusion
then becomes white dwarf once fusion stops entirely because ALL of its fuel has run out
initial formation of stars
protostar (hydrogen gas and stellar dust) held together by gravity
begin to collapse in on itself
pressure increases, generating heat
hot enough to ignite hydrogen and start nuclear fusion
protostar def
protostar: a cloud of hydrogen gas and stellar dust in space held together by gravity
the more massive the main sequence star on HR diagram
main sequence stars are characterised by…
nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium (2 H into 1 He)
helium has less mass than hydrogen
(this mass defect is converted into energy)
this energy provides pressure outwards that balances inward force of gravity, which stabilises the star
hydrogen fusion 2 varieties
proton-proton chain
or
CNO cycle
proton-proton chain
form of hydrogen fusion
main process for small main sequence stars
4H→He-4
cno cycle
form of hydrogen fusion
main process for big main sequence stars
converts a carbon (catalyst) atom between nitrogen and oxygen to produce
4 hydrogen nuclei –> 1 helium nucleus & energy
after hydrogen fusion
when the star runs out of hydrogen fuel, the core starts to contract and outer gas shell expands
temp drops and luminosity increases as star becomes RED GIANT
how are giant stars formed
when hydrogen fuel runs out and helium is used as fuel instead
helium fusion requirement and effect on star
requires much higher temp to initiate fusion
star overall temp is decreasing but the core temp is increasing
2 processes of helium fusion
triple alpha process to carbon
helium fusion into oxygen
< 8 solar masses (He fusion)
stop fusion after He runs out and leave core filled with carbon and oxygen
> 8 solar masses (He fusion)
continue fusion and leave core filled with iron
how is fusion inside stars initiated
by gravitational force
the squeeze from gravity generates heat and pressure in the core
a star would collapse under its own gravity if not for…
the outward pressure from fusion in the star’s core
what are protostars formed from
basic elements in free space
why is CNO cycle H fusion for larger main sequence stars
fusion processes involving heavier elements require more energy to initiate
proton-proton chain involves light elements however since carbon and oxygen are heavier (needs more energy) , fusion can occur
how much energy is released during the proton-proton chain fusion of H to He
describe two processes which account of energy production in stars
(death) white dwarves are formed when
helium runs out and star loses mass (main sequence to giant to white dwarf)
< 8 solar masses (smaller main sequence stars)
( death) neutron stars
red giants (from larger main sequence stars) are fueled by He fusion then core is filled with iron
when He runs out, star explodes
supernova (explosion that compresses the star’s core)
neutron star
small and dense core
8-20 solar masses
( death) black holes
red giants (largest main sequence stars) are fueled by He fusion which fills core with iron
when He runs out, star explodes
supernova (explosion) due its size, the remnants collapse and form black hole
black hole is infinitely small and dense, prevents light from escaping
death of stars
MS is main sequence
small MS < 8 solar masses
red giant (He into C, O)
white dwarf
medium MS 8-20 solar masses
red giant (He into C, O, Fe)
neutron star (medium supernova)
big MS > 20 solar masses
red giant (He into C, O, Fe)
black hole (big supernova)
death of star HR diagram
why do stars die
they run out of fuel
outward fusion forces are required to balance the inward force of gravity on the star
when fuel runs out, no more fusion, star collapses
the effects of gravity play a significant role in stellar evolution. describe the processes of death for stars with masses above and below 8 solar masses and the role gravity plays
what is an arcsecond