What happens to objects massive enough to fuse deuterium once their deuterium supply is exhausted?
Answer
They rely solely on Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction to radiate heat
Since deuterium is a rare isotope, its fusion energy source is quickly depleted (in $10^7$ to $10^8$ years). After this point, these objects must rely entirely on the less energetic gravitational contraction mechanism to continue radiating any residual heat.
Related Questions
What is the universally accepted mechanism powering a typical star's immense heat and light?What delicate balance maintains the stability of a star during its main sequence phase?What mechanism primarily generates temporary heat and light in objects like brown dwarfs that cannot sustain core hydrogen fusion?By the most common astronomical definition, what qualifies a celestial body as a true star?Approximately what is the lower mass limit ($M_ ext{Sun}$) required for an object to sustain core hydrogen fusion and become a main-sequence star?How does the required core temperature for deuterium fusion compare to that needed for standard hydrogen fusion?What happens to objects massive enough to fuse deuterium once their deuterium supply is exhausted?How does the energy release rate of hydrogen fusion compare to the energy released by gravitational contraction?What acts as a built-in thermostat in a main-sequence star if the core fusion rate increases slightly?Which nuclear process occurs late in the lives of the most massive stars, fusing silicon into iron?What is necessary to sustain the luminous existence of a massive body against gravity for billions of years?