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Creation of the Chemical Elements

Creation of the Chemical Elements. By Dr. Harold Williams of Montgomery College Planetarium http://montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/planet/. 17.3 Life as a High-Mass Star. Our goals for learning What are the life stages of a high-mass star?

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Creation of the Chemical Elements

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  1. Creation of the Chemical Elements By Dr. Harold Williams of Montgomery College Planetarium http://montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/planet/

  2. 17.3 Life as a High-Mass Star • Our goals for learning • What are the life stages of a high-mass star? • How do high-mass stars make the elements necessary for life? • How does a high-mass star die?

  3. What are the life stages of a high-mass star?

  4. CNO Cyclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNO_cycle • High-mass main sequence stars fuse H to He at a higher rate using carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen as catalysts • Greater core temperature enables H nuclei to overcome greater repulsion

  5. Life Stages of High-Mass Stars • Late life stages of high-mass stars are similar to those of low-mass stars: • Hydrogen core fusion (main sequence) • Hydrogen shell burning (supergiant) • Helium core fusion (supergiant)

  6. How do high-mass stars make the elements necessary for life? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple-alpha_process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_burning_process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_burning_process

  7. Big Bang made 75% H, 25% He – stars make everything else

  8. Helium fusion can make carbon in low-mass stars

  9. CNO cycle can change C into N and O

  10. Helium Capture • High core temperatures allow helium to fuse with heavier elements

  11. Helium capture builds C into O, Ne, Mg, …

  12. Advanced Nuclear Burning • Core temperatures in stars with >8MSun allow fusion of elements as heavy as iron

  13. Advanced reactions in stars make elements like Si, S, Ca, Fe

  14. Multiple Shell Burning • Advanced nuclear burning proceeds in a series of nested shells

  15. Iron is dead end for fusion because nuclear reactions involving iron do not release energy (Fe has lowest mass per nuclear particle)

  16. Evidence for helium capture: Higher abundances of elements with even numbers of protons

  17. How does a high-mass star die?

  18. Iron builds up in core until degeneracy pressure can no longer resist gravity Core then suddenly collapses, creating supernova explosion

  19. Supernova Explosionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova • Core degeneracy pressure goes away because electrons combine with protons, making neutrons and neutrinos • Neutrons collapse to the center, forming a neutron star • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_star

  20. Energy and neutrons released in supernova explosion enable elements heavier than iron to form, including Au and U

  21. Supernova Remnanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_nebula • Energy released by collapse of core drives outer layers into space • The Crab Nebula is the remnant of the supernova seen in A.D. 1054, M1, NGC 1952, Taurus A, ~6,300LY away, 3LY radius, optical and radio pulsar

  22. Supernova 1987Ahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova_1987a • The closest supernova in the last four centuries was seen in 1987

  23. Rings around Supernova 1987A • The supernova’s flash of light caused rings of gas around the supernova to glow

  24. Impact of Debris with Rings • More recent observations are showing the inner ring light up as debris crashes into it

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