Convective overshooting in the evolution of very massive stars

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/159115· OSTI ID:5974196

Stothers, R; Chin, C

Two important instances of possible convective overshooting in stars of 30--120 M/sub sun/ are considered here: (1) the possible merger between the convective core and the fully convective intermediate zone in the envelope at the end of the main phase of core hydrogen burning and (2) the possible penetration by the outer convection zone into the hydrogen-shell region when the star is a red supergiant. In the first instance, convective mixing between the core and inner envelope leads to renewed hydrogen burning near the center and, consequently, to a widening of the main-sequence band in the H-R diagram. In the second instance, deep penetration by the outer convection zone forces the star out of the red-supergiant configuration and into a new configuration very near the main sequence. It would thus seem possible to account for the apparent spread of the uppermost part of the observed main sequence and for the observed concentration of very luminous supergiants toward earlier spectral types, without having to postulate the occurrence of heavy mass loss.

• Research Organization: Institute for Space Studies, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• OSTI ID: 5974196
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 247:3; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CONVECTION
DIAGRAMS
GIANT STARS
HELIUM BURNING
HERTZSPRUNG-RUSSELL DIAGRAM
MAIN SEQUENCE STARS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
STAR BURNING
STAR EVOLUTION
STAR MODELS
STARS
SUPERGIANT STARS