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Why Do Low-Mass Stars Become Red Giants?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

Richard J. Stancliffe ,
Alessandro Chieffi ,
John C. Lattanzio  and
Ross P. Church
Richard J. Stancliffe*
Affiliation:
Centre for Stellar and Planetary Astrophysics, Monash University, PO Box 28M, Victoria 3800, Australia
Alessandro Chieffi
Affiliation:
Centre for Stellar and Planetary Astrophysics, Monash University, PO Box 28M, Victoria 3800, Australia INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica, Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via Fosso del Cavaliere, Rome, Italy
John C. Lattanzio
Affiliation:
Centre for Stellar and Planetary Astrophysics, Monash University, PO Box 28M, Victoria 3800, Australia
Ross P. Church
Affiliation:
Centre for Stellar and Planetary Astrophysics, Monash University, PO Box 28M, Victoria 3800, Australia
*
CCorresponding author. Email: richard.stancliffe@sci.monash.edu.au
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Abstract

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We revisit the problem of why stars become red giants. We modify the physics of a standard stellar evolution code in order to determine what does and what does not contribute to a star becoming a red giant. In particular, we have run tests to try to separate the effects of changes in the mean molecular weight and in the energy generation. The implications for why stars become red giants are discussed. We find that while a change in the mean molecular weight is necessary (but not sufficient) for a 1-M⊙ star to become a red giant, this is not the case in a star of 5 M⊙. It therefore seems that there may be more than one way to make a giant.

Keywords

stars: evolution
Type
Theory, Evolution and Models
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , 2009 , pp. 203 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2009

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