Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 317 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let denote specific entropy, reserving from the first question for envelope thickness. The stellar adiabatic exponents are defined at fixed composition byIt is useful to introduce , so .
Take the stellar gas to be a fully ionized, nonrelativistic monatomic ideal gas, with fixed specific gas constant . Its mixture with thermal radiation hasHere is specific internal energy, and the stellar gas-pressure fraction is . The assumption of monatomic gas fixes its heat capacity; the perfect-gas pressure law alone would not determine it.
At fixed and fixed , respectively, the pressure derivatives areFor an isentropic process, the first law of thermodynamics gives . Differentiate the internal energy rather than artificially holding fixed during the perturbation:The parenthesis is , givingSince ,Using the relation between the exponents gives the adiabatic exponents of a monatomic gas-radiation mixtureThe requested values, including the adiabatic temperature gradient, areThe pure-radiation and pure-gas rows are understood as limits of the mixture.
For uniform composition, the Schwarzschild criterion for stellar convective instability isTo test whether a radiative configuration becomes unstable, use its required stellar radiative temperature gradient for . Since , the equivalent radial condition isAn outward-displaced parcel then cools less than its new surroundings, remains less dense at the same pressure, and is further accelerated outward.
The requested Eddington-model convective-core mass fraction follows from the usual global constant- closure. At the outer radiative surface, put , , and . Dividing the radiation-pressure gradient by the stellar hydrostatic equation givesThere is no energy generation outside the convective core, so use there. The local radiative-gradient formula isThe same representative has been used in the global luminosity closure and at the boundary. Setting this gradient equal to at producesThis is , , and for , respectively, with a marginal radiation-dominated limit.
There is a consistency qualification to this last model estimate. It cannot be an exact stellar solution if all the printed assumptions are enforced pointwise. An exactly uniform nonzero radiation fraction would give at every radiative point. The exact equations would then requireIf is constant throughout an envelope with positive mass density, increases with radius, so this equality cannot hold there. Equivalently uniform fixes the actual gradient to , whereas for . The boxed core fraction is the intended Eddington closure and boundary estimate, which relaxes exact constancy of in the detailed envelope. The constant-beta radiative-envelope obstruction identifies the missing approximation; it is not legitimate to silently assert exact compatibility.
For a radiative envelope, . Exactly uniform stellar gas-pressure fraction instead requires this derivative to be . Constant opacity therefore requires to increase in proportion to enclosed mass. A positive-density finite-mass envelope with no local energy generation has constant and cannot satisfy all these conditions pointwise. The Eddington-model convective-core mass fraction uses constant as a global approximation, rather than an exact detailed envelope constraint.