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Lesson 2 Stellar Evolution and Formation of Heavy Element 051629

The document discusses the processes of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis, explaining how elements are formed from the Big Bang to supernova events. It details the stages of star formation, including the transition from protostars to main sequence stars, and the subsequent evolution into red giants and beyond. The fate of stars, whether they become white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes, is determined by their mass, and heavy elements are formed through various nuclear processes during these stages.

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Maypia Flores
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3 views

Lesson 2 Stellar Evolution and Formation of Heavy Element 051629

The document discusses the processes of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis, explaining how elements are formed from the Big Bang to supernova events. It details the stages of star formation, including the transition from protostars to main sequence stars, and the subsequent evolution into red giants and beyond. The fate of stars, whether they become white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes, is determined by their mass, and heavy elements are formed through various nuclear processes during these stages.

Uploaded by

Maypia Flores
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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We are all made of Star Stuff

Stellar Evolution and


the
Formation of Heavier
Lesson 2 in Physical Science
The origin of naturally occurring elements fall
into different phases:

1. Big bang or Primordial Nucleosynthesis


The origin of LIGHT ELEMENTS

2. Stellar Nucleosynthesis
 The origin of HEAVY ELEMENTS

3. Supernova Nucleosynthesis
 The origin of HEAVY ELEMENTS
The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis did not give
rise to elements heavier than beryllium.
 Drop in temperature resulted in
insufficient energy levels for fusion
reactions to push through.
• Nucleosynthesis continued with the
expansion of the universe.
The universe continuously expanded for
several years and the cloud of hydrogen
and helium gases condensed to form stars.

The tiny stars shining in the sky are actually giant


balls of hydrogen and helium.
STELLAR NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
 Hydrogen and helium atoms in stars
began combining in nuclear fusion
reactions once hydrogen-helium stars had
formed from the action of gravity. This
releases a tremendous amount of light,
heat, and radioactive energy.
 Fusion resulted in the formation of nuclei
of new elements. These reactions inside
stars are known as stellar
nucleosynthesis.
STELLAR NUCLEOSYNTHESIS

 Elements heavier than beryllium were


formed through stellar nucleosynthesis.
 Elements associated with both living and
nonliving things mostly originated from
stars
 Processes that occurred inside stars were
responsible for the formation of these
elements
STELLAR NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
 The process by
which natural
abundances of the
chemical elements
WITHIN STARS
vary due to
nuclear fusion
reactions in the
core and overlying
mantle of stars.
STELLAR FORMATION

 The star formation theory states that stars


formed when gravity acted on the
particles expanding with the universe.
 Stellar nurseries form from dense
molecular regions.
 Protostars are formed when these regions
collapse.
STELLAR EVOLUTION

 Stellar evolution refers to the process in


which a star changes through its lifetime.
 The abundances of elements a star
contains change as it evolves.
 The course of evolution is determined by
its mass.
STELLAR
 All stars are formed from stellar EVOLUTION
nurseries called
nebulae.
 Nebulae are often regions where new stars are
forming, and are sometimes called "stellar
nurseries".
 A nebula breaks into smaller fragments as it further
collapses before contracting into a protostar, or a
very hot stellar core that continues to gather gas
and dust as it contracts and increases in
temperature.
 Nuclear reactions like the proton-proton fusion
reactions occur at a temperature of around
10,000,000 K.
STELLAR EVOLUTION
 Protostars evolve into
main sequence stars
upon reaching
gravitational
equilibrium.
 An increase in pressure
brought about by
positrons and neutrinos
halt the contraction of
the protostar.
What is Main Sequence Star?
 It is any star that is
fusing hydrogen in its
core.
 It has a stable
balance of outward
pressure from core
nuclear fusion and
gravitational forces
pushing inward.
STELLAR EVOLUTION

 The sun is believed


to be in the middle
of the main
sequence phase of
stellar evolution.
 It will remain as
such for at least five
billion years.
Inside a Main Sequence Star

PROTON-PROTON CHAIN
REACTION
 One of the two known set
of fusion reaction by which
stars convert hydrogen to
helium. It dominates in
stars the size of the sun or
smaller.
Inside a Main Sequence Star Gamma
Ray is
released

CNO CYCLE
 One of the two known set
of fusion reaction by
which stars convert Undergoes beta
decay
hydrogen to helium.
 Carbon- Nitrogen- Oxygen
is used to fuse H and He
at higher rate.
 A catalytic cycle
In Main Sequence Star?
PROTON-PROTON CHAIN
CNO CYCLE
REACTION
RED GIANT STAR

 Main sequence
stars evolve into
red giant stars
when all hydrogen
atoms in their
cores get
depleted.
RED GIANT STAR

 A red giant star is


a dying star in last
stages of stellar
evolution.
STELLAR EVOLUTION
 Helium becomes the major component of the core.
 Proton-proton chain reactions use hydrogen to
produce helium.
 Hydrogen fusion moves to the outer shell and the
core's surface.
STELLAR EVOLUTION

 Fusion stops when all hydrogen atoms in the core


are used up.
 Pressure in the core decreases.
Inside a Red Giant
Star
TRIPLE ALPHA PROCESS
 Helium- 4 atoms (alpha particles) are converted to
carbon via the alpha fusion processes.
STELLAR EVOLUTION
Temperature can increase
to approximately 10
million K.
 Pressure also
increases.
 Hydrogen is pushed
away from the core.
 The resulting
expansion eventually
transforms the main
sequence star to a red
giant.
ALPHA LADDER/ ALPHA Inside a Red Giant
PROCESS
 One of the two classes Star
of nuclear reactions
that convert helium to
heavier elements.
 After the TRIPLE ALPHA
process consume
helium and produces
enough carbon, ALPHA
LADDER takes place
while consuming only
helium and the product
of the previous
PROCESS
 One of the two classes of Inside a Red Giant
nuclear reactions that Star
convert helium to heavier
elements.
 This process begins after the
triple-alpha process has
produced enough carbon. In
the alpha ladder, carbon
fuses with alpha particles to
create progressively heavier
elements, such as oxygen,
neon, magnesium, silicon,
sulfur, argon, calcium,
Slow Neutron Capture/ S Inside a Red Giant
Process Star
 The slow neutron-capture
process, or s-process, is a
series of reactions in nuclear
astrophysics that occur in
stars, particularly
asymptotic giant branch
stars. The s-process is
responsible for the creation
(nucleosynthesis) of
approximately half the
atomic nuclei heavier than
iron.
Inside a Red Giant
Star
Slow Neutron Capture/ S
Process
 The s-process is secondary,
meaning that it requires pre-
existing heavy isotopes as
seed nuclei to be converted
into other heavy nuclei by a
slow sequence of captures of
free neutrons.
 Low mass stars turn into white dwarf stars when the
majority of helium in their cores are consumed.
 Hot and inert carbon core eventually becomes the
white dwarf.
 Lower amounts of helium in the core decrease the
rate of the alpha processes.
 Outer shell expands into space, forming a planetary
nebula.
 An exploding multiple-shell red Supernova
giant is called a supernova.
 Happens when its core can no
longer produce energy to resist
gravity
 It releases massive quantities of
high-energy neutrinos.
 Neutrinos break nucleons and
release neutrons.
 The generated neutrons are
picked up by nearby stars.
 key step in the formation of
elements heavier than iron
Rapid Neutron Capture/ R Process
Supernova
 In space, it happens when stars
go supernova or neutron stars
collide. What happens during the
r-process is that the seed nuclei
get absolutely blasted with
neutrons. The neutrons crash into
the nuclei so quickly that they
can build up to heavier elements
before they naturally
radioactively decay into lighter
ones.
The fate of a star, whether it becomes a white dwarf,
neutron star, or black hole, is determined by its mass:
 White dwarf: A star with a low or medium mass (less
than about 8 times the mass of the Sun) will become
a white dwarf.
 Neutron star: A supermassive star (with an initial
mass greater than about eight times that of the Sun)
will become a neutron star if the core of the star has a
mass less than about three times the Sun's mass after
a supernova explosion.
 Black hole: A star with a mass higher than two solar
masses will become a black hole.
Rapid Neutron Capture/ R Process
Supernova
 In space, it happens when stars
go supernova or neutron stars
collide. What happens during the
r-process is that the seed nuclei
get absolutely blasted with
neutrons. The neutrons crash into
the nuclei so quickly that they
can build up to heavier elements
before they naturally
radioactively decay into lighter
ones.
The formation of Heavy Elements may occur in two phases:

1 2

3 4 5

6 8 11

7 9

10
The formation of Heavy Elements may occur in two phases:

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