What role does deuterium burning play within the protostar core before hydrogen fusion ignites?
Answer
It acts as a stellar thermostat, regulating the temperature around 1 million K
The fusion of deuterium (hydrogen-2) with a standard proton occurs at around 1 million Kelvin. This process releases energy and serves to regulate the core temperature, keeping it steady and allowing the protostar to remain in this phase longer while collecting more mass.
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