Metastable and stable equilibrium states of stellar electron-nuclear plasmas

Abstract

By minimizing free energy density, we show that the stellar core of a hydrogen burning star is not in a global thermodynamical equilibrium unless density, temperature, mass and composition assume given values. The core (as the solar interior) may be viewed more appropriately as a metastable state with very long lifetime. Slightly non-extensive distribution function could be the natural distribution for a weakly non-ideal plasma like a stellar core and represents a more appropriate approximation to this system than a Maxwellian distribution, without affecting bulk properties of stars.

arXiv comment14 pages, to appear in Phys. Lett. A

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Test of Nonextensive Statistical Mechanics by Solar Sound Speeds
• Solar Resonant Diffusion Waves as a Driver of Terrestrial Climate Change
• Stability analysis of the classical ideal gas in nonextensive statistics and the negative specific heat
• Nonextensive statistical effects on nuclear astrophysics and many-body problems