Aryana Libris

Author : Maeder André
Title : Physics, formation and evolution of rotating stars
Year : 2009

Link download : Maeder_Andre_-_Physics_formation_and_evolution_of_rotating_stars.zip

Preface. Rotation is often considered as a side effect in stellar evolution, a point not deserving more than a section at the end of a book. However, at each step from star formation to the final stages of evolution, rotation is present and in some cases even dominates the course of evolution, the timescales and the nucleosynthesis. This is in particular the case in star formation, where the initial angular momentum has to be reduced by a factor of 105 at least. Also during nuclear evolution the rotational instabilities drive internal mixing of the elements and rotation may enhance the mass loss rates. Recent works (see Chap. 29) even suggest that rotation is a dominant effect in the evolution and element synthesis of the first stars at zero and very low metallicities. Also, stellar rotation is an essential ingredient for the occurrence of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). This is why here we thoroughly examine the basic mechanical and thermal effects of rotation during evolution, their influence on stellar winds, the effects of differential rotation and associated instabilities and the possible dynamos generated in rotating stars. Also, the observational signatures of rotational effects are numerous, first from spectroscopy and now also from interferometric observations, from chemical abundance determinations, from helioseismology and asteroseismology, etc. ...