Red Giant Star (IMAGE)
Caption
Deep in the interior of a red giant star, hydrogen rich clouds (red) are seen to float above the hydrogen burning shell (blue). In this three-dimensional simulation, the energy production rate in the burning shell exceeds that of the sun by a factor greater than 100. It heats the previously homogeneous region around it converting 3He to 4He and hydrogen, producing a hydrogen rich region that is buoyant and fragments into rising clouds. This previously unrecognized mixing mechanism resolves the problem of 3He overproduction in low mass stars.
Credit
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories
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