Grey-atmosphere convection onset with eighth-power temperature opacity

ID: grey-atmosphere-convection-onset-with-eighth-power-temperature-opacity

Take an ideal gas grey atmosphere with , constant surface gravity of a star , vanishing external pressure and . Integrating hydrostatic equilibrium in optical depth gives . Its logarithmic temperature-pressure gradient is , so the Schwarzschild criterion for a monatomic gas is crossed at . The radiative continuation beyond that depth is unstable and must be replaced by convective transport.

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