Definition
Stellar evolution refers to the changes of the internal and global properties of stars during their lifetime.
Overview
Stars are fundamental entities providing light and energy in the Universe, as well as producing most of the chemical elements. The study of their internal structure and evolution is thus at the basis of astrophysics. In addition, since many stars host planetary systems, their study is a basic aspect of astrobiology. In this entry, the basic concepts of stellar evolution are first introduced by deriving the equations describing the evolution of the internal structure of a star. These equations are then used to obtain simple analytical estimates of stellar properties and to qualitatively understand the different phases of stellar evolution in terms of basic physical considerations. The evolutionary scenarios obtained by numerically solving the equations of stellar evolution are then discussed for stars with different initial masses. In addition to this global...
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References and Further Reading
Aerts C, Christensen-Dalsgaard J, Kurtz DW (2010) Asteroseismology. Springer, Dordrecht
Böhm-Vitense E (1958) Über die Wasserstoffkonvektionszone in Sternen verschiedener Effektivtemperaturen und Leuchtkräfte. Z Astrophys 46:108–143
Crowther PA (2007) Physical properties of Wolf-Rayet stars. Annu Rev Astron Astrophys 45(1):177–219
de Boer K, Seggewiss W (2008) Stars and stellar evolution. EDP Sciences, Les Ulis
Hansen CJ, Kawaler SD, Trimble V (2004) Stellar interiors: physical principles, structure, and evolution, 2nd edn. Springer, New York
Kippenhahn R, Weigert A (1990) Stellar structure and evolution. Springer, Berlin
Maeder A (2009) Physics, formation and evolution of rotating stars. Springer, Berlin
Prialnik D (2000) An introduction to the theory of stellar structure and evolution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
van den Heuvel EPJ (1994) Topics in close binary evolution. In: Heuvel EPJ (ed) Saas-Fee advanced course 22: interacting binaries. Springer, Berlin, pp 263–474
Vanbeveren D (2004) Massive close binaries. EAS Publ Ser 13:141–161
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Eggenberger, P. (2015). Stellar Evolution. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1739
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1739
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