Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2012/iii/paper-63/1/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 63 1 b Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The helium mass fraction is . For the two compositions, and . The mean molecular weight is thereforeAt fixed mass and with the same prescribed opacity coefficient, part (a) gives and . Eliminating radius givesThis is the composition shift of a convective pre-main-sequence track. The higher-helium mass fraction case is hotter at a given luminosity, lying to the left of the case in a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Its fixed-luminosity temperature ratio is .
Both stars contract, so both and decrease in this particular opacity model. Their nearly vertical Hayashi tracks therefore run downward and slightly to the right, with arrows in that direction:Figure 1.
Composition-dependent pre-main-sequence tracks with contraction arrows
. Details. The plotted luminosity and effective temperature are normalized to arbitrary common references; no opacity normalization or absolute age was specified. The comparison holds the given opacity coefficient fixed.
These paths cease to apply when their assumptions fail. Deuterium-burning energy-generation rate can temporarily slow contraction; sustained hydrogen burning ends the purely gravitational phase. Formation of a radiative core breaks the fully convective adiabat and can lead to a Henyey track toward hotter effective temperature. Partial ionization, a changing atmospheric opacity, and electron degeneracy pressure alter the equation of state or boundary relation. Accretion luminosity, changing mass, and magnetic inhibition of convection can also modify a young star's path.
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