swfchan: evol_massive5.swf (info)

Text

a high mass star — more than 3 times the
mass of our Sun

H fuel runs low quickly and the star
becomes red and swollen.

A short while later, the star begins He fusion in
the core and thus becomes a red giant.

He fusion builds up a core of solid carbon
as the outer layers continue to expand

Let's go into the core.....

an inner core of solid Carbon

He Æ C

H Æ He

solid
C

As H and He fusion rates in the shells slow,
gravity starts to crush the core

Electrons in the core become tightly packed
and fight off further compaction by gravity...

...but the massive layers of the star are able to
overcome electron pressure and further
compact the carbon core.

Let's zoom in on the ultra
compact core.

Gravity crushes the core until
Carbon fusion starts.

C Æ O

H Æ He
He Æ C

More fusion reactions ensue, each fuel source
being used up more quickly....

O Æ Ne

Ne Æ Mg

Mg Æ Si

Si Æ Fe

Fe is the last element made in which energy is
released

and when Si fusion runs low, gravity gets the
upper hand and squeezes.

In a fraction of a second the earth-size Fe core
is squeezed into a ball smaller than Manhattan.

The Weak Force turns all Protons into Neutrons,
resulting in a sudden flood of neutrinos.

In the next tenth of a second, the NEUTRONS
crystalize and the surface of the core slams into the
layers above at 20% the speed of light.

A tremendous shock will rip through the overlying
layers, tearing the star apart in what is called a
SUPERNOVA explosion.

A tremendous shock rips through the overlying
layers, tearing the star apart in what is called a
SUPERNOVA explosion.

It will take 3 hours for the shock wave to reach the
star's surface ....

so from the outside the star looks normal, except
for the burst of neutrinos.

Finally 3 hours after the collapse of the core, the
shock wave reaches the surface and the star goes
supernova.

In the explosion, elements heavier than Fe, such as
gold, silver, and uranium are made by fusion.

The SN cloud will disperse over thousands of
years, enriching interstellar space with heavy
elements.

Over time, the dead core of the star will be revealed.
It is called a NEUTRON STAR.

Neutron Stars are ultra compact, having about the
mass of our Sun packed into 6 km.

Immensely strong magnetic fields surround
Neutron Stars.

Charged particles spiral around the magnetic field
lines and travel toward the poles.

Radio light is emitted by the accelerating charged
particles.

and since particles are closest together at the
poles, this is where the most intense light is
emitted.

Neutron Stars spin rapidly, as fast as several
thousand times a second ...

...and since their magnetic field is usually tilted
from their spin axis, light leaving the magnetic
poles swings around like a lighthouse lamp.

If Earth happens to lie along the sight of one of the
magnetic poles, then we see pulses of radio light as
the Neutron Star spins.

We call this a PULSAR.

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