On the Theory of Helium Diffusion in Stellar Outer Layers

PONCE DAWSON, SILVINA; VERGA, ALBERTO D

REVISTA MEXICANA DE ASTRONOMíA Y ASTROFíSICA

UNIV NACIONAL AUTONOMA MEXICO

Año: 1986 vol. 13 p. 85 - 100

0185-1101

We discuss the approximations usually made in the different approaches to diffusion in stellar outer layers. We analyze the hypotheses of binary diffusion and diffusion over a non altered background both analytically and numerically. Numerical calculations are applied to central stars of planetary nebulae in which a depletion of helium is observed. We find that in this case helium diffusion may be considered as a binary process but cannot be decoupled from the structure computation. We present an alternative method for studying diffusion and apply it to the central stars. We thus solve a stationary hydrodynamic model for a completely ionized H-He plasma. which takes into account consistently the behavior of all the species. We find equilibrium abundance distributions very different from those obtained according to the trace element approaches while helium and electron densities increase with depth in the atmosphere, protons tend to decrease. However, preliminary studies of the stability show that these are not the actual distributions.