The well-known theoretical gadfly Dr. I. M. N. Sane has realized that there is a
ID: 2269302 • Letter: T
Question
The well-known theoretical gadfly Dr. I. M. N. Sane has realized that there is another possible energy source for supernovae, which has been overlooked by lesser scientists. His calculations suggest that during the collapse of the core, various processes result in about 1% of the neutrons escaping from atomic nuclei as free particles. His proposal is that these neutrons then decay into protons, electrons and electron antineutrinos, and that energy released in antineutrinos powers the supernova. Christine Jones, president of the American Astronomical Society, is investigating this model for a possible award of a major prize to Dr. Sane. She asks you to do a calculation to see if this model works. The input: the core itself starts at 1.4Mo of mass, of which initially about half is neutrons. Supernovae produce about 1051 ergs of energy in kinetic energy. You'll need to look up the masses of neutrons, protons, and electrons. Give Dr. Sane the maximum benefit of the doubt by assuming that all of the energy in his antineutrinos couples to matter and helps drive the supernova (i.e., all contribute to its kinetic energy)Explanation / Answer
we know that supernova produce about 10^51ergs of energy in kinetic energy. thus we can say that binding energy of the envelope to the core is approximately equal to 5*10^51ergs of energy and supernova kinetic energy constitutes only about 1%of the total power and the rest power is radiated away . The neutrinos produce when the protons in the core eventually escapes but they carry great majority of energy with them so 1% is enough to blow up the star.thus dr sane's model can work
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