In contrast to high-mass stars, what limits energy transport outwards in cooler, low-mass protostars?
Answer
Convection
Low-mass protostars operate under significantly different thermal regimes compared to their massive counterparts. Because they are cooler internally, their material is more opaque to the transfer of energy via radiation. Consequently, the primary mechanism responsible for moving the gravitational potential energy outward, allowing contraction to proceed, is often limited by convection. Furthermore, low-mass stars contract while maintaining a nearly constant surface temperature, causing their luminosity to decrease as they shrink, which results in substantially longer contraction timescales.
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