Realitycheck Posted August 31, 2011 Posted August 31, 2011 So the average density of the sun is supposed to be about 1,400 kilograms per cubic meter, 160,000 kg per cubic meter at the core. I've been thinking about just what a such dense plasma would be like upon close inspection. Aside from the intense heat involved, would it resemble a malleable solid if it were contained in something like a bag? I guess there would be too much matter involved to simply squeeze it around. Does the density involved cause it to change its state into a liquid or solid?
granpa Posted September 1, 2011 Posted September 1, 2011 even in the interior of the sun iron isnt completely ionized. once the core cools and becomes a white dwarf then it no doubt is solid. fusion in the interior causes the core to puff up thereby reducing the pressure and shutting off the fusion. its a self correcting process. as a result the core is probably not very solid
imatfaal Posted September 1, 2011 Posted September 1, 2011 even in the interior of the sun iron isnt completely ionized. once the core cools and becomes a white dwarf then it no doubt is solid. fusion in the interior causes the core to puff up thereby reducing the pressure and shutting off the fusion. its a self correcting process. as a result the core is probably not very solid Not sure about the white dwarf stuff granpa. a white dwarf isn't merely a cooled yellow dwarf (ie like the sun) it is the remnant after much of the outer atmosphere has been blown off - and when they are formed are considerable hotter than the sun. some very old white dwarfs will have cooled to our suns sort of temperature; but not many cos it takes billions of years and sun like stars were not common in the early universe. the electron degenerate matter (which is completely ionised) that makes up a white dwarf is closer modelled as a gas than a solid - it is stripped ions floating in a sea of electrons, and whilst dense it is not I believe solid Also I am unsure if you are stating that fusion continues within a white dwarf - this is generally not the case. The only fusion in a white dwarf is when it accretes mass to send it over the chandraseckar limit - runaway carbon fusion will then take place and the white dwarf will form a type 1a supernova and blow itself to smithereens
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