Lecture 11: The Internal Structure of Stars

What are the physical laws that determine the internal structure of stars? We first introduce the Mass-Luminosity Relation for Main Sequence stars, as well as seeing how the mean density of stars differs for stars on different parts of the H-R diagram. We then introduce the Ideal Gas Law, which relates pressure, density, and temperature, and show how the internal structure of a star is determined by a continuous tug-of-war between internal pressure trying to blow the star apart, and self-gravity trying to make it collapse. The balance between the two is the state of Hydrostatic Equilibrium. How the balance is maintained, and what happens when it is tipped in favor of either will determine the appearance and subsequent evolution of the star. Recorded 2006 January 18 in 1008 Evans Laboratory on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University.