Metastable and stable equilibrium states of stellar electron-nuclear plasmas
arXiv:nucl-th/0501050 · doi:10.1016/j.physleta.2005.01.011
Abstract
By minimizing free energy density, we show that the stellar core of a hydrogen burning star is not in a global thermodynamical equilibrium unless density, temperature, mass and composition assume given values. The core (as the solar interior) may be viewed more appropriately as a metastable state with very long lifetime. Slightly non-extensive distribution function could be the natural distribution for a weakly non-ideal plasma like a stellar core and represents a more appropriate approximation to this system than a Maxwellian distribution, without affecting bulk properties of stars.
14 pages, to appear in Phys. Lett. A