Message #204429

[Jennifer Murdoch]

Reeves (1985) suggested the intervention  of  the  inhabitants  that
       depend on these  stars  for  light and heat.  According  to  Reeves,
       these inhabitants could  have  found  a  way  of keeping the stellar
       cores well-mixed with hydrogen,  thus  delaying  the  Main  Sequence
       turn-off and the ultimately destructive, red giant phase.

       Beech (1990) made a more detailed analysis of Reeves' hypothesis and
       suggested an interesting  list  of  mechanisms for  mixing  envelope
       material into the core of the star.  Some of them are as follows:

         o  Creating a "hot spot" between the stellar core and surface
            through the detonation of a series of hydrogen bombs.  This
            process may alternately be achieved by aiming "a powerful,
            extremely concentrated laser beam" at the stellar surface.

         o  Enhanced stellar rotation and/or enhanced magnetic fields.
            Abt (1985) suggested from his studies of blue stragglers that
            meridional mixing in rapidly rotating stars may enhance their
            Main Sequence lifetime.

       If some of  these  processes  can  be  achieved,  the  Main Sequence
       lifetime may be greatly extended by  factors  of ten or more.  It is
       far too early to establish, however, whether all the blue stragglers
       are the result of astroengineering activities.

       Editor's Note:  References to this paper will be published in Part 2
                       in the January 1994 issue of the EJASA.




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