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The global Eddington closure $L=(1-\beta )4\pi cGM/\kappa$, combined with a representative stellar gas-pressure fraction, makes the exterior stellar radiative temperature gradient approximately $M/(4m)$ when the luminosity is constant outside the core. Matching it to the adiabatic temperature gradient estimates the displayed boundary mass. This is a closure estimate: imposing exactly uniform $\beta$ throughout a finite-mass radiative envelope also conflicts with constant luminosity, as described by the constant-beta radiative-envelope obstruction.

In stellar homology, the dimensionless radial profiles are the same after scaling radius, enclosed mass, pressure, temperature and luminosity. At corresponding radii let $r^{\prime }=\xi r$, $m_r^{\prime }=m{m}_r$, $T^{\prime }=tT$, $P^{\prime }=pP$ and $L_r^{\prime }=l{L}_r$. The printed $R^{\prime }=\xi r$ is understood as this local radial scaling, with surface radius $R^{\prime }=\xi R$.

Let $q={\rho }^{\prime }/\rho$ and keep composition, opacity coefficient and nuclear coefficient fixed first. Mass conservation gives $q=m/{\xi }^3$, and hydrostatic equilibrium gives $p=mq/\xi =m^2/{\xi }^4$. The ideal gas law then gives $t=p/q=m/\xi$. Scaling the stellar energy-generation rate equation and the stellar radiative temperature gradient gives respectivelyThe second follows from $dT/dr\propto -\kappa \rho L_r/(r^2{T}^3)$, not from energy production. Equating the two luminosity scalings givesThis assumes the denominator is nonzero and a consistent homologous family exists. If the mean molecular weight differs by $u={\mu }^{\prime }/\mu$, then $t=um/\xi$ andRatios of the opacity and energy-generation coefficients multiply the right-hand side. Thus fixed composition is a real restriction, not an automatic property of every stellar sequence.

Use the Stefan–Boltzmann law $L=4\pi R^2\sigma T_{\mathrm{eff}}^4$ to locate the family on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. It implies $T_{\mathrm{eff}}\propto M^{(Y-2X)/4}$ andFor proton–proton chain burning take the usual local approximation $\eta =4$, with Kramers opacity law $\lambda =1$, $\nu =-7/2$. ThenFor the CNO cycle with electron-scattering opacity, $\lambda =\nu =0$, soA conventional local choice $\eta =16$ gives $R\propto M^{15/19}$ and slope $76/9\simeq 8.44$. Choosing $\eta =17$ instead gives slope $60/7\simeq 8.57$. The source specifies no numerical nuclear exponents, and the effective exponent changes with temperature; the general expression is the unambiguous answer.

The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram places hotter stars to the left. Its branches rise toward higher luminosity and mass, and the CNO cycle/electron-scattering opacity branch has the steeper logarithmic slope. Their illustrative joining point and normalization are arbitrary because the proportional opacity and reaction laws do not specify absolute stellar scales. These are the fully radiative ideal-gas homology predictions, not exact observed main sequence relations: convection and increasing radiation support limit those assumptions in real stars.

Let $g=Gm/r^2>0$, $H_P=-dr/d\log P>0$, $\nabla =d\log T/d\log P$, and ${\nabla }_{\mu }=d\log \mu /d\log P$. Consider a small radial fluid displacement $\xi$ whose sound-crossing time is short enough to keep its pressure equal to its surroundings. Its composition is frozen and its heat exchange negligible. This is the local stellar convective stability test.

For gas-pressure-dominated ideal gas matter, $\rho \propto \mu P/T$. The ambient gradient is thereforeThe displaced element conserves specific entropy and mean molecular weight, giving $(d\log \rho /dr{)}_{\mathrm{parcel}}=-(1-{\nabla }_{\mathrm{ad}})/H_P$, where ${\nabla }_{\mathrm{ad}}=({\Gamma }_2-1)/{\Gamma }_2$. The parcel-minus-environment mass density difference isIts buoyancy acceleration is minus $g$ times this difference. ThusPositive stellar buoyancy frequency squared gives a restoring force. The gas-pressure-dominated Ledoux criterion is thereforeEquality is marginal in this ideal adiabatic test. For monatomic gas ${\nabla }_{\mathrm{ad}}=2/5$. An inward increase of mean molecular weight has ${\nabla }_{\mu }>0$ and stabilizes the layer; uniform composition recovers the Schwarzschild criterion. For a radiative layer one substitutes the stellar radiative temperature gradient, ${\nabla }_{\mathrm{rad}}=3\kappa LP/(16\pi acGm{T}^4)$.

More generally define $\delta =-(\partial \log \rho /\partial \log T{)}_{P,\mu }$ and $\phi =(\partial \log \rho /\partial \log \mu {)}_{P,T}$. The same displacement argument gives $N^2=(g/H_P)[\delta ({\nabla }_{\mathrm{ad}}-\nabla )+\phi {\nabla }_{\mu }]$ and stability for $\nabla <{\nabla }_{\mathrm{ad}}+(\phi /\delta ){\nabla }_{\mu }$. Both coefficients equal one in the gas-dominated ideal-gas limit used above. This is local dynamical stability against convection; it is distinct from global radial collapse and from instabilities requiring heat or composition diffusion.

Let $S$ denote specific entropy, reserving $s$ from the first question for envelope thickness. The stellar adiabatic exponents are defined at fixed composition byIt is useful to introduce ${\Gamma }_3-1=(\partial \log T/\partial \log \rho {)}_S$, so $({\Gamma }_2-1)/{\Gamma }_2=({\Gamma }_3-1)/{\Gamma }_1$.

Take the stellar gas to be a fully ionized, nonrelativistic monatomic ideal gas, with fixed specific gas constant $\mathcal{R}$. Its mixture with thermal radiation hasHere $u$ is specific internal energy, and the stellar gas-pressure fraction is $\beta =\mathcal{R}\rho T/P$. The assumption of monatomic gas fixes its heat capacity; the perfect-gas pressure law alone would not determine it.

At fixed $T$ and fixed $\rho$, respectively, the pressure derivatives areFor an isentropic process, the first law of thermodynamics gives $du=Pd\rho /{\rho }^2$. Differentiate the internal energy rather than artificially holding $\beta$ fixed during the perturbation:The parenthesis is $(P/\rho T)[(3/2)\beta +12(1-\beta )]$, givingSince $d\log P={\chi }_{\rho }d\log \rho +{\chi }_{T}d\log T$,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 ${\nabla }_{\mathrm{rad}}$ for $\nabla$. Since $dP/dr<0$, 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-$\beta$ closure. At the outer radiative surface, put $m=M$, $L_r=L$, and $P_{\mathrm{rad}}=(1-\beta )P$. Dividing the radiation-pressure gradient by the stellar hydrostatic equation givesThere is no energy generation outside the convective core, so use $L_r=L$ there. The local radiative-gradient formula isThe same representative $\beta$ has been used in the global luminosity closure and at the boundary. Setting this gradient equal to ${\nabla }_{\mathrm{ad}}$ at $m=M_c$ producesThis is $1$, $77/80$, and $5/8$ for $\beta =0,1/2,1$, respectively, with $\beta =0$ 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 $d{P}_{\mathrm{rad}}/dP=1-\beta$ at every radiative point. The exact equations would then requireIf $L_r$ is constant throughout an envelope with positive mass density, $m$ increases with radius, so this equality cannot hold there. Equivalently uniform $\beta$ fixes the actual gradient to $1/4$, whereas ${\nabla }_{\mathrm{ad}}>1/4$ for $\beta >0$. The boxed core fraction is the intended Eddington closure and boundary estimate, which relaxes exact constancy of $\beta$ in the detailed envelope. The constant-beta radiative-envelope obstruction identifies the missing approximation; it is not legitimate to silently assert exact compatibility.