Rosseland mean opacity
E46432
Rosseland mean opacity is an average measure of a material’s opacity weighted toward frequencies where radiation is most effectively transported, widely used in stellar and astrophysical radiative transfer calculations.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
astrophysical opacity measure
→
mean opacity → radiative transfer quantity → |
| appliesTo |
continuum opacity
→
line opacity ensembles → |
| assumes |
diffusion approximation for radiative transfer
→
local thermodynamic equilibrium → optically thick medium → |
| characteristic |
emphasizes frequency ranges where radiation diffuses most efficiently
→
|
| contrastsWith |
Planck mean opacity weighting by Planck function itself
→
|
| dependsOn |
chemical composition
→
density → frequency-dependent opacity → ionization state → temperature → |
| domain |
astrophysics
→
plasma physics → radiative transfer theory → stellar astrophysics → |
| introducedBy |
Svein Rosseland
→
|
| introducedIn |
20th century
→
|
| mathematicalDefinition |
harmonic mean of monochromatic opacity weighted by derivative of Planck function with respect to temperature
→
|
| namedAfter |
Svein Rosseland
→
|
| relatedTo |
OP opacity project
→
OPAL opacity project → Planck mean opacity → equation of radiative transfer → flux-mean opacity → monochromatic opacity → radiation pressure → radiative diffusion approximation → radiative energy transport → stellar opacity tables → |
| roleInModels |
controls radiative energy flux for given temperature gradient
→
|
| symbol |
kappa_R
→
|
| unit |
square meter per kilogram
→
|
| usedFor |
computing radiative temperature gradient in stars
→
determining convective stability criteria → estimating radiative conductivity → modeling energy transport in stellar interiors → |
| usedIn |
accretion disk models
→
astrophysical radiative transfer → interior models of stars → radiation hydrodynamics → stellar atmosphere modeling → stellar evolution models → stellar structure calculations → |
| weightingFunction |
dB_nu_dT
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Radiative Transfer
→
|
relatedConcept |