Exam 16: Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

When helium fusion begins in the core of a red giant star, the situation quickly gets out of control because electron-degeneracy pressure does not respond to changes in:

For low-mass main-sequence stars in hydrostatic equilibrium, at any interior radius there exists a balance between the downward gravitational force at that radius and:

What ionizes the gas in a planetary nebula and makes it visible?

Using this diagram, identify the star with the smallest radius.

Asymptotic giant-branch stars have _________ luminosities, _________ radii, and _________ escape velocities.

What factor is most important in determining a star's position on the main sequence and subsequent evolution?

During evolutionary phase A in the figure below, the star is _________. In evolutionary phase B, it is _________.

When a star burns hydrogen in a shell, it will never produce as much energy (per unit time) as when it burns hydrogen in the core because the core has a higher temperature.

When a star depletes its core supply of hydrogen, _________ causes the core to collapse while increased gas _________ is exerted on the atmosphere.

Degenerate refers to a state of matter at:

How long will a 2 M _$\odot$ star live as a main-sequence star?

A star like the Sun will lose about _________ of its mass before it evolves to become a white dwarf.

Why does the core of a main-sequence star have to be hotter to burn helium into carbon than hydrogen into helium?

A nova is the result of which explosive situation?

A low-mass main-sequence star's climb up the red giant branch is halted by:

The evolutionary cutoff between low- and high-mass stars occurs at approximately:

You observe a 0.8 M _$\odot$ white dwarf in a binary orbit around a main-sequence star of mass 1.4 M _$\odot$ . Which of the following is most likely the original mass of the star that became the white dwarf?

When a low-mass star becomes an AGB star and has a temperature of 3300 K, at what wavelength will it shine the brightest?

As a white dwarf star gradually cools, its radius stays approximately constant. What is happening to the white dwarf's luminosity?

What types of stars cause Type I supernovae, and what makes them explode?