mass-luminosity relation
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Stellar mass vs. luminosity, derived
from astrometric data
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A relationship between luminosity (intrinsic
brightness) and mass for stars that are on the main
sequence. Averaged over the whole main sequence (i.e. for stars of all
masses), it has been found that L = M3.5, where both L and M
are measure in solar units. This means, for example, that if the mass is
doubled, the luminosity increases more than 10-fold. A more detailed examination
shows that the relationship is different in different mass regimes. For
stars of less than 0.43 solar mass (in which convection
is the sole energy transport process), L = 0.23 M2.3. For a mass
greater than this and up to several solar masses, L varies as the fifth
power of M, while for the very massive stars, L varies as M cubed. These
relationships are empirical ones based largely on observations of binary
stars.
Related category
• STELLAR
ASTROPHYSICS
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