What type of high-energy photon initially results from fusion in the star's core?
Answer
Gamma rays
The energy released directly from the nuclear fusion reaction in the star's core is in the form of high-energy gamma rays. These gamma ray photons do not immediately escape the star. Instead, they begin an exhaustive journey through the dense plasma layers of the star. During this long process, the photons are absorbed and re-emitted countless times. With each interaction, they lose a small amount of energy, causing their wavelength to shift toward cooler ends of the electromagnetic spectrum until they emerge near the surface as lower-energy forms like visible light, infrared radiation, and ultraviolet radiation.
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