- #1
TrickyDicky
- 3,507
- 27
Does the new estimate on the number of red dwarf stars in the universe suggest a different proportion of He/H? (current helium abundance estimate is 24%)
Would it be lower since more mass would be tied up in low-mass stars (like red dwarfs) in which He/H<0.24.?
If not, how many more times should the number of low-mass stars be increased to have some influence on the proportion He/H of the universe?
New estimate by van Dokkum and Conroy:
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1009.5992v1
http://www.universetoday.com/80955/red-dwarf-discovery-changes-everything/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/science/space/02star.html?_r=1&ref=science
Would it be lower since more mass would be tied up in low-mass stars (like red dwarfs) in which He/H<0.24.?
If not, how many more times should the number of low-mass stars be increased to have some influence on the proportion He/H of the universe?
New estimate by van Dokkum and Conroy:
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1009.5992v1
http://www.universetoday.com/80955/red-dwarf-discovery-changes-everything/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/science/space/02star.html?_r=1&ref=science