What factor sensitively affects the presence of trace elements like sodium or phosphorus in the outer shells during carbon fusion?
Answer
The exact initial mass and metallicity of the star
Although the overall sequence of fusion stages is predictable, the precise elemental yields, especially trace amounts of certain isotopes, are highly sensitive to the initial conditions of the star. The text notes that elements like sodium or small amounts of phosphorus appearing in shells where carbon fusion is dominant depend critically on two specific stellar properties: the star's exact initial mass and its metallicity (the abundance of elements heavier than helium present when the star formed). This sensitivity demonstrates that stellar evolution results are not always perfectly clean-cut between defined stages.
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