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Do stars that lose mass expand or contract? A semianalytical approachSemianalytic methods are used to determine whether a star of polytropic index n expands or contracts following an insentropic loss of mass. It is found that most stars shrink, including radiative stars which can be approximated by polytropes of index roughly three. However, stars that have a ratio of specific heats gamma only slightly larger than 1 + 1/n do expand if the perturbation of the core density is sufficiently large. For stars that shrink, the fractional change in the radius is not a linear function of the fractional change in mass. Using Lane's theorem, it is shown that a star with gamma = 4/3 cannot lose mass isentropically, although the radius increases if the core density is reduced.
Document ID
19860061804
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Heisler, J.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Alcock, C.
(MIT Cambridge, MA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 12, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 1986
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal, Part 1
Volume: 306
ISSN: 0004-637X
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
86A46542
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGL-22-009-638
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSG-7643
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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