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The thrilling journey of binary stars: How does mass transfer change the fate of stars? You definitely want to know!
In the vast universe, stars are like pearls in the night sky, gradually revealing their life history and thrilling changes. Among them, stellar mass loss is a striking phenomenon. It is not just the loss of matter, but will also profoundly affect the evolution and ultimate fate of stars. As stars travel through their long journey in spectacular brilliance, how does the transfer of mass shape their future?
Reasons for quality loss
Every star experiences some degree of mass loss during its lifetime. This can be caused by its own stellar wind or by interaction with the external environment. In addition, stars with larger mass are particularly prone to significant mass loss at the end of their evolution. Factors that affect their mass loss include:
- The gravitational attraction of a binary companion
- Coronal mass ejection event
- Evolution of red giant or red supergiant phase
The influence of solar wind
The solar wind is a stream of plasma released from the sun's upper atmosphere. The high temperatures of the corona give charged particles enough energy to escape the Sun's gravitational pull. Although the amount of mass lost by the Sun each year to the solar wind is minuscule, it is enough to release rare nuclei of heavy elements, providing deep insights into the Sun's inner workings and its magnetic field.
In 2021, the Parker Solar Probe measured the "speed of sound" and magnetic properties of the solar wind plasma environment.
The surprise of binary mass transfer
In a binary system in close orbit, gas is transferred from one star to its companion star due to gravity, a process that affects their evolution. If the companion star is a white dwarf, neutron star or black hole, the mass transfer will lead to surprising results. For example, when the primary star is a white dwarf, the system will quickly evolve into a Type Ia supernova.
The study shows that more than 70% of massive stars exchange mass with a companion star, and in one-third of the cases form binary mergers.
Mass Ejection of Massive Stars
Some special types of stars, notably Wolf-Rayet stars, lose mass rapidly as they evolve. These stars are unable to keep their outer layers bound to them as their radius increases, resulting in a violent eruption of mass into space. Throughout their lives, these giant stars continuously donate mass to the surrounding interstellar medium, providing the universe with heavier elements such as helium, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen.
Mass loss of red giant stars
Stars in the red giant phase are known for rapid mass loss. As the helium flash in the core occurs, the outer structure will also rush into space, further forming a planetary nebula. The structure of these nebulae provides clues to our understanding of the mass-loss history of stars.
The overdense and underdense areas in the nebula indicate active periods of stellar mass loss, while the uneven distribution suggests the occurrence of mass ejection events.
It is worth noting that the asymptotic giant branch stars on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram are also very likely to experience mass loss in the later stages of their evolution. This stage is the period of maximum mass loss and is also the period of those that do not trigger supernovae. A momentous occasion for a single star.
ConclusionThe phenomenon of mass loss not only reveals the dynamics of stellar life, but also gives us a deeper understanding of the important roles these stars play in the universe. As research on stellar evolution continues to deepen, will we be able to understand the process of these mass transfers and predict the future fate of stars?
