Astronomy
1st Edition
ISBN: 9781938168284
Author: Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher: OpenStax
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Textbook Question
Chapter 16, Problem 13E
Someone suggests that astronomers build a special gamma-ray detector to detect gamma rays produced during the proton-proton chain in the core of the Sun, just like they built a neutrino detector. Explain why this would be a fruitless effort.
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We saw that, on Earth, the number flux of solar neutrinos from the p-p chain is 6.7E10 s-1 cm-2. Other nuclear reactions in the Sun supplement this neutrino flux with a small additional flux of higher-energy neutrinos. A neutrino detector in Japan, named Super Kamiokande, consists of a tank of 50kton of water, surrounded by photomultiplier tubes. The tubes detect the flash of Cerenkov radiation emitted by a recoiling electron when a high-energy neutrino scatters on it. Calculate the detection rate for neutrino scattering in events per day, if 10-6 of the solar neutrinos have a high enough energy to be detected by this experiment, and each electron poses a scattering cross section=10-43 cm. Hint: Consider the density of neutrino targets "seen" by an individual electron, with a relative velocity of c between the neutrinos and the electron, to obtain the rate at which one electron interacts with the incoming neutrinos, and multiply by the total number of electrons (I've already done this:…
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Chapter 16 Solutions
Astronomy
Ch. 16 - How do we know the age of the Sun?Ch. 16 - Explain how we know that the Sun’s energy is not...Ch. 16 - What is the ultimate source of energy that makes...Ch. 16 - What are the formulas for the three steps in the...Ch. 16 - How is a neutrino different from a neutron? List...Ch. 16 - Describe in your own words what is meant by the...Ch. 16 - Two astronomy students travel to South Dakota. One...Ch. 16 - What do measurements of the number of neutrinos...Ch. 16 - Do neutrinos have mass? Describe how the answer to...Ch. 16 - Neutrinos produced in the core of the Sun carry...
Ch. 16 - What conditions are required before proton-proton...Ch. 16 - Describe the two main ways that energy travels...Ch. 16 - Someone suggests that astronomers build a special...Ch. 16 - Earth contains radioactive elements whose decay...Ch. 16 - The Sun is much larger and more massive than...Ch. 16 - A friend who has not had the benefit of an...Ch. 16 - Which of the following transformations is (are)...Ch. 16 - Why is a higher temperature required to fuse...Ch. 16 - Earth’s atmosphere is in hydrostatic equilibrium....Ch. 16 - Explain what it means when we say that Earth’s...Ch. 16 - What mechanism transfers heat away from the...Ch. 16 - Suppose you are standing a few feet away from a...Ch. 16 - Give some everyday examples of the transport of...Ch. 16 - Suppose the proton-proton cycle in the Sun were to...Ch. 16 - Do you think that nuclear fusion takes place in...Ch. 16 - Why is fission not an important energy source in...Ch. 16 - Why do you suppose so great a fraction of the...Ch. 16 - Explain how mathematical computer models allow us...Ch. 16 - Estimate the amount of mass that is converted to...Ch. 16 - How much energy is released when a proton combines...Ch. 16 - The Sun converts 4109 kg of mass to energy every...Ch. 16 - Assume that the mass of the Sun is 75% hydrogen...Ch. 16 - In fact, the conversion of mass to energy in the...Ch. 16 - Now suppose that all of the hydrogen atoms in the...Ch. 16 - Models of the Sun indicate that only about 10% of...Ch. 16 - Show that the statement in the text is correct:...Ch. 16 - Every second, the Sun converts 4 million tons of...Ch. 16 - Raymond Davis Jr.’s neutrino detector contained...
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- Assume that the core of the Sun has one-eighth of the Sun’s mass and is compressed within a sphere whose radius is one-fourth of the solar radius.Assume further that the composition of the core is 35% hydrogen by mass and that essentially all the Sun’s energy is generated there. If the Sun continues to burn hydrogen at the current rate of 6.2 *1011 kg/s, how long will it be before the hydrogen is entirely consumed? The Sun’s mass is 2.0 * 1030 kg.arrow_forwardAssume that the core of the Sun has one-eighth of the Sun’s mass and is compressed within a sphere whose radius is one-fourth of the solar radius.Assume further that the composition of the core is 31% hydrogen by mass and that essentially all the Sun’s energy is generated there. If the Sun continues to burn hydrogen at the current rate of 6.33E11 kg/s, how long, in years, will it be before the hydrogen is entirely consumed? Mass of the Sun is 2.0x1030 kg.arrow_forwardUse that the pressure on the Sunspot (ideal gas) plus the magnetic pressure B?/(2µo) equals the photosphere pressure (also ideal gas but at different pressure) in order for the Sunspot not to sink. Use that p=3.5x104 kg/m³ and u=1 to find the magnetic field strength in the Sunspot.arrow_forward
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- I asked this question already but the answer was wrong and I couldn't follow along with the work so I was hoping you could try again A Sun-like star has a power output of 3.1·1026 W with 87.3% of this energy supplied by the proton-proton chain. How many protons are consumed per second in the core of this star?arrow_forwardWhich statement is true about nuclear fusion? It does not occur naturally in the solar system. It is caused by the same process that causes nuclear fission. It produces nearly all the elements that are heavier than helium. It has very low activation energy.arrow_forwardThe capture of too few solar neutrinos by Davis in the solar neutrino experiment a. can be explained if the sun is not undergoing thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen in its core. b. indicates that the sun’s core is much cooler than expected. c. indicates that the sun’s core is much hotter than expected. d. indicates that the sun’s core is convective. e. is explained by none of the above.arrow_forward
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