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A Practical Equation of State for the Sun and Sun‐like Stars
Author(s) -
Lin HH.,
Däppen W.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
contributions to plasma physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1521-3986
pISSN - 0863-1042
DOI - 10.1002/ctpp.201100098
Subject(s) - equation of state , stars , physics , emulation , opacity , state (computer science) , astronomy , interpolation (computer graphics) , astrophysics , computer science , optics , algorithm , classical mechanics , economics , economic growth , motion (physics) , quantum mechanics
For models of the Sun and Sun‐like stars, a high‐quality equation of state is crucial. Conversely, helio‐ and asteroseismological observations put constraints on the physical formalisms. They effectively turn the Sun and stars into laboratories for dense plasmas. For models of the Sun and Sun‐like stars, the most accurate equation of state so far has been the one developed as part of OPAL opacity project of Livermore. However, the OPAL equation of state is limited in two important respects. First, it is only available in the form of pre‐computed tables that are provided from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Applications to stellar modeling require therefore interpolation, with unavoidable loss of accuracy. Second, the OPAL equation of state is proprietary and not freely available. Varying its underlying physical parameters is therefore no option for the community. We report on the most recent progress with the development of a high‐precision emulation of the OPAL equation of state that will lead to an in‐line tool for modelers (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)