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Fusion reactions can occur inside stars for two reasons...
- The temperature is extremely high, resulting in full ionization of the electrons from the hydrogen atoms. This removes one of the barriers from the fusion process that would interfere due to the electromagnetic force.
- The pressure is also extremely high, high enough to overcome the repulsion of the protons in the hydrogen atoms also due to the electromagnetic force, allowing the hydrogen atoms to fuse into helium atoms. The weak interaction then causes two of the protons to change into neutrons, completing the change into helium.
Both of these conditions are initiated by gravity.
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LaoIn stars like the Sun, the primary fusion reaction is the combination of hydrogen nuclei (protons) to form helium, releasing energy in the process. This fusion process is known as the proton-proton chain reaction. It is responsible for the immense amount of energy that stars emit, including our own Sun.
Sun is a star and all stars are big balls of gas, primarily made up of gargantuan amounts of Hydrogen and Helium. To know what is nuclear fusion and how does it work in the Sun, one must know what are stars made of.
Nuclear fusion in the Sun is a process by which rapidly colliding nuclei, like those of Hydrogen, fuse together at very high temperatures, to form nuclei of higher atomic weight. In this process some mass is lost and converted into energy. That is the secret of Sun's energy production! The amount of energy obtained from conversion of 1 gm of matter into energy (given by Albert Einstein's celebrated equation, 'E = mc2) would be roughly 9 X 1013 Joules! So matter is just a form of energy! They are two manifestations of the same thing!
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More than 98% of the Sun's energy comes from the proton-proton chain reaction, which involves the fusion of 4 protons followed by the weak interaction conversion of two of them into neutrons, to form helium. Less than 2% of the energy involves the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle, which involves four protons, fusing with carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen as a catalyst, to various, via various pathways, with a net result of helium. The choice between reactions is based on mass. Our Sun "prefers" the PP reaction, while stars that are about 1.3 times as massive and greater, start to "prefer" the CNO cycle.
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When nuclear fusion occurs what form of radiation is released from the star?
Positrons and neutrinos are released by nuclear fusion.
What is the nuclear fusion order in a star?
In a star, nuclear fusion occurs in multiple stages. The main sequence stars, like our sun, primarily fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores through the proton-proton chain reaction. As the star evolves, it can go on to fuse heavier elements like carbon, oxygen, and eventually iron through various nuclear reactions.
Which nuclear fusion cycle is the next one to begin after helium fusion ends in a massive star?
The next nuclear fusion cycle after helium fusion in a massive star is carbon fusion. This process involves fusing helium nuclei to form carbon. Carbon fusion typically occurs in the core of a massive star after helium fusion is completed.
What is the nuclear fusion order for a star?
The nuclear fusion order for a star like our Sun involves the conversion of hydrogen into helium. This fusion process occurs in multiple stages, beginning with the fusion of hydrogen isotopes (protons) into deuterium, and then further reactions combine deuterium to form helium-3 and, ultimately, helium-4.
Does nuclear fusion occur in stars?
Yes, nuclear fusion occurs in stars. It is the process through which stars generate energy by fusing hydrogen atoms together to form helium in their cores. This process releases vast amounts of energy in the form of light and heat, which powers a star's luminosity.
