Nuclear Reaction Taking Place in Sun (stars)
It has been estimated that the sun is giving out energy equally in all possible directions at the rate of 3.7 × 1033 ergs/sec. The energy of the sun is supposed to arise from the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium nuclei which in going on inside it all the time.
The various fusion reactions taking place in the sun are as follows:
Proton – proton chain reaction:
1H1 + 1H1 ⎯-fusion→ 1H2 (positron) + +1e0 + energy
1H2 + 1H1 ⎯-fusion→ 2He3 + energy
2He3 +1H1 ⎯-fusion→ 2He4+ + 1e0 + energy
The overall reaction, therefore, may be written as:
4 1H1 ⎯-fusion→ 2He4 + 2 + 1e0 + energy
