Stellar Instability and Intermediate Luminosity Optical Transients (ILOTs)

TYPEAstrophysics Seminar
Speaker:Liron Mcley
Affiliation:Technion
Date:06.08.2014
Time:14:30 - 15:30
Location:Lidow 620
Abstract:

Vigorous nuclear burning in the core of evolved stars causes the appearance of convection areas. It is thought that convection triggered by oxygen burning, which occurs right before massive stars collapse, causes gravity and pressure waves to form within the star and gradually propogate outwords. These waves carry their energy to the envelope where it dissipates and theoretically ejects a large portion of mass. In my talk, I will present our claim that the main outcome of this energy leakage process is actually the expansion of the envelope rather than major mass ejection. I will show that the propagating waves contribute to the pressure in the envelope at radii smaller than their dissipation radius and that the expansion of the envelope absorbs most of the energy from the waves.