The carbon-burning process or carbon fusion is a set of nuclear fusion reactions that take place in the cores of massive stars (at least at birth) that combines carbon into other elements. It requires high temperatures ( or ) and densities ().
These figures for temperature and density are only a guide. More massive stars burn their nuclear fuel more quickly, since they have to offset greater gravitational forces to stay in (approximate) hydrostatic equilibrium. That generally means higher temperatures, although lower densities, than for less massive stars. To get the right figures for a particular mass, and a particular stage of evolution, it is necessary to use a numerical stellar model computed with computer algorithms. Such models are continually being refined based on nuclear physics experiments (which measure nuclear reaction rates) and astronomical observations (which include direct observation of mass loss, detection of nuclear products from spectrum observations after convection zones develop from the surface to fusion-burning regions – known as dredge-up events – and so bring nuclear products to the surface, and many other observations relevant to models).
Fusion reactions
The principal reactions are:
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C-12 + C-12 -> Ne-20 + He (+ 4.617 MeV)
C-12 + C-12 -> Na-23 + H (+ 2.241 MeV)
C-12 + C-12 -> Mg-23 + n (− 2.599 MeV)
99 Alternatively:
C-12 + C-12 -> Mg-24 + y (+ 13.933 MeV)
C-12 + C-12 -> O-16 + 2 He 2 (− 0.113 MeV)
-->:{| border="0"
|- style="height:3em;"
||Carbon-12| ||+ ||Carbon-12| ||→ ||Neon-20| ||+ ||Helium| ||+ ||4.617 MeV
|- style="height:3em;"
|Carbon-12| ||+ ||Carbon-12| ||→ ||Sodium-23| ||+ ||Hydrogen| ||+ ||2.241 MeV
|- style="height:3em;"
|Carbon-12| ||+ ||Carbon-12| ||→ ||Magnesium-23| ||+ ||<sup>1</sup>n ||− ||2.599 MeV
|- style="height:3em;"
|colspan=99|Alternatively:
|- style="height:3em;"
|Carbon-12| ||+ ||Carbon-12| ||→ ||Magnesium-24| ||+ || ||+ ||13.933 MeV
|- style="height:3em;"
|Carbon-12| ||+ ||Carbon-12| ||→ ||Oxygen-16| ||+ ||2 Helium| ||colspan=2|− 0.113 MeV
|}
Reaction products
This sequence of reactions can be understood by thinking of the two interacting carbon nuclei as coming together to form an excited state of the <sup>24</sup>Mg nucleus, which then decays in one of the five ways listed above. The first two reactions are strongly exothermic, as indicated by the large positive energies released, and are the most frequent results of the interaction. The third reaction is strongly endothermic, as indicated by the large negative energy indicating that energy is absorbed rather than emitted. This makes it much less likely, yet still possible in the high-energy environment of carbon burning.
The fourth reaction might be expected to be the most common from its large energy release, but in fact it is extremely improbable because it proceeds via electromagnetic interaction, So the result of carbon burning is a mixture mainly of oxygen, neon, sodium and magnesium. A similar resonance increases the probability of the triple-alpha process, which is responsible for the original production of carbon.
Neutrino losses
Neutrino losses start to become a major factor in the fusion processes in stars at the temperatures and densities of carbon burning. Though the main reactions don't involve neutrinos, the side reactions such as the proton–proton chain reaction do. But the main source of neutrinos at these high temperatures involves a process in quantum theory known as pair production. A high energy gamma ray which has a greater energy than the rest mass of two electrons (mass-energy equivalence) can interact with electromagnetic fields of the atomic nuclei in the star, and become a particle and anti-particle pair of an electron and positron.
Normally, the positron quickly annihilates with another electron, producing two photons, and this process can be safely ignored at lower temperatures. But around 1 in 10<sup>19</sup> pair productions
Stellar evolution
During helium fusion, stars build up an inert core rich in carbon and oxygen. The inert core eventually reaches sufficient mass to collapse due to gravitation, whilst the helium burning moves gradually outward. This decrease in the inert core volume raises the temperature to the carbon ignition temperature. This will raise the temperature around the core and allow helium to burn in a shell around the core. Outside this is another shell burning hydrogen. The resulting carbon burning provides energy from the core to restore the star's mechanical equilibrium. However, the balance is only short-lived; in a star of 25 solar masses, the process will use up most of the carbon in the core in only 600 years. The duration of this process varies significantly depending on the mass of the star.
Stars of below 4 solar masses never reach high enough core temperature to burn carbon, instead ending their lives as carbon-oxygen white dwarfs after shell helium flashes gently expel the outer envelope in a planetary nebula. In the late stages of this nuclear burning they develop a massive stellar wind, which quickly ejects the outer envelope in a planetary nebula leaving behind an O-Ne-Na-Mg white dwarf core of about 1.1 solar masses.
See also
- Alpha process
- Carbon detonation
- CNO cycle
- Neon-burning process
- Proton–proton chain reaction
- Triple-alpha process