Segregation of isotopes of heavy metals due to light-induced drift: results and problems

TL;DR

This paper extends the theory of light-induced drift (LID) to explain isotopic segregation of heavy metals in the atmospheres of chemically peculiar stars, supported by computational models showing LID's significant role.

Contribution

The authors generalized the LID theory and applied it to model isotope diffusion in stellar atmospheres, demonstrating LID's importance in isotope separation.

Findings

LID significantly influences isotope segregation in stellar atmospheres.

Computational models show isotope abundance changes consistent with LID effects.

Results support LID as a key mechanism for isotopic anomalies in CP stars.

Abstract

Atutov and Shalagin (1988) proposed light-induced drift (LID) as a physically well understandable mechanism to explain the formation of isotopic anomalies observed in CP stars. We generalized the theory of LID and applied it to diffusion of heavy elements and their isotopes in quiescent atmospheres of CP stars. Diffusional segregation of isotopes of chemical elements is described by the equations of continuity and diffusion velocity. Computations of the evolutionary sequences for abundances of mercury isotopes in several model atmospheres have been made using the Fortran 90 program SMART, composed by the authors. Results confirm predominant role of LID in separation of isotopes.