A Method for Atomic Computation of Stellar Evolution.

Abstract

A method is described for obtaining time sequences of stellar configurations automatically by means of high-speed digital computers. The time-dependent differential equations of stellar strucutre are replaced by second-order difference equations. These non-linear difference equations, together with the boundary conditions, are solved by an iterative method which is a generalization of the Newton-Raphson method for obtaining roots of functions. With the UNIVAC computer of the Livermore site of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, the method has been used in connection with various previously published studies of stellar evolution.