Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Scattering Potential For A Polytrope Of Degree-5, J. A. Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

By regarding the study of radial and non-redial stellar oscillations as a problem in potential scattering theory, a standard form of the radial Schrödinger equation can be derived. After establishing some preliminary results of astrophysical interest, an analytic expression for the potential is derived for a truncated (i.e., finite radius) polytrope (or class of self-gravitating compressible spheres) of degree n = 5. Properties of the potential are discussed.