Schwarzschild criterion
E70353
The Schwarzschild criterion is a condition in astrophysics that determines when a star’s interior becomes convectively unstable, leading to energy transport by bulk motion of stellar material.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
astrophysical stability criterion
ⓘ
physical criterion ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
convective stability analysis
ⓘ
radiative zones of stars ⓘ stellar interiors ⓘ |
| appliesUnderCondition |
local thermodynamic equilibrium
ⓘ
quasi-static stellar evolution ⓘ spherically symmetric stellar models ⓘ |
| assumes |
adiabatic motion of displaced fluid elements
ⓘ
no composition gradient in the stellar layer ⓘ small perturbations to equilibrium ⓘ |
| category |
stellar astrophysics
ⓘ
theoretical astrophysics ⓘ |
| compares | actual temperature gradient to adiabatic temperature gradient ⓘ |
| concerns |
stability of stratified fluids in a gravitational field
ⓘ
vertical displacement of fluid elements ⓘ |
| determines |
onset of convective instability in stars
ⓘ
transition from radiative to convective energy transport ⓘ |
| field | astrophysics ⓘ |
| influences |
chemical mixing in stellar interiors
ⓘ
lifetimes of different stellar evolutionary phases ⓘ luminosity profile inside stars ⓘ temperature profile inside stars ⓘ |
| isSpecialCaseOf | Ledoux criterion ⓘ |
| mathematicalForm |
∇_rad < ∇_ad implies convective stability
ⓘ
∇_rad > ∇_ad implies convective instability ⓘ |
| namedAfter | Karl Schwarzschild ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Ledoux criterion
ⓘ
Rayleigh–Bénard convection ⓘ convective energy transport ⓘ giant star envelopes ⓘ hydrodynamic stability ⓘ main-sequence stellar structure ⓘ mixing-length theory ⓘ radiative energy transport ⓘ stellar convection zones ⓘ |
| statesThat |
a layer is convectively stable if the radiative temperature gradient is less than the adiabatic temperature gradient
ⓘ
a layer is convectively unstable if the radiative temperature gradient exceeds the adiabatic temperature gradient ⓘ |
| usedFor |
locating convective zones in stars
ⓘ
predicting convective cores ⓘ predicting convective envelopes ⓘ |
| usedIn |
numerical stellar evolution codes
ⓘ
stellar evolution calculations ⓘ stellar structure models ⓘ |
| usesConcept |
buoyancy of fluid elements
ⓘ
equation of state of stellar material ⓘ hydrostatic equilibrium ⓘ |
| usesQuantity |
adiabatic temperature gradient
ⓘ
radiative temperature gradient ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.