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Answer:
In stars like our Sun, hydrogen turns into helium through a process called the proton-proton chain reaction. This happens deep inside the star where it's really hot. First, two hydrogen nuclei (protons) come together to make a deuterium nucleus (one proton and one neutron). This releases a positron and a neutrino.
Then, another proton joins with the deuterium nucleus to create a helium-3 nucleus, and a gamma ray is released. Finally, two helium-3 nuclei combine to form helium-4, along with two protons. This whole process releases a ton of energy in the form of light and heat, which is what makes stars shine so brightly. It's a constant cycle of nuclear reactions that keeps the star glowing steadily during its main lifetime.
In main sequence stars like our Sun, hydrogen is converted into helium through a series of nuclear fusion reactions known as the proton-proton chain reaction.
- Two protons (hydrogen nuclei) come together due to the strong nuclear force. One of these protons undergoes a transformation called beta-plus decay, where it converts into a neutron, emitting a positron (positive electron) and a neutrino. This process forms a deuterium nucleus (one proton and one neutron).
[tex] \sf{p + p \rightarrow D + e^+ + \nu_e }[/tex]
- A proton collides with the newly formed deuterium nucleus, resulting in the formation of a helium-3 nucleus (two protons and one neutron), along with the release of a gamma-ray photon.
[tex] \sf{D + p \rightarrow ^3He + \gamma }[/tex]
- Two helium-3 nuclei collide. One helium-3 nucleus captures another helium-3 nucleus, forming a helium-4 nucleus (two protons and two neutrons), plus two protons (hydrogen nuclei).
[tex] \sf{^3He + ^3He \rightarrow ^4He + 2p }[/tex]
- Energy Release: Throughout these reactions, energy is released in the form of gamma-ray photons and through the mass-energy equivalence (E = mc²) when particles are converted into different particles.
- Stability and Balance: The overall reaction maintains the balance of mass and energy as predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity.
This series of reactions, known as the proton-proton chain, is the dominant energy production mechanism in stars like the Sun, where hydrogen is fused into helium at the core.