Development of a computer code for the calculation of stellar evolution, with applications to solar models of low neutrino flux

A general purpose computer code has been developed to allow the detailed calculation of evolutionary sequences of hydrostatic stellar models under many circumstances of astrophysical interest. Solution of the structure equations is by the relaxation technique throughout the star without explicit integration and fitting for the outer envelope. A new matrix method of algebraic solution of the finite difference equations is employed, together with a modification of that method for the treatment of the central boundary condition. The method is easily adapted to an integration technique for the construction of initial models. It is demonstrated how the matrix technique allows determination of the derivatives of the matching condition in a single integration. The modification of the code for the purpose of detailed evolutionary calculation of a portion of a star is presented through the modification of the boundary conditions to represent in simple fashion the remainder of the star. Stability and convergence problems encountered in earlier versions of the code are discussed, as well as the techniques used to overcome them. The structure of the code is highly modular, so as to easily accommodate changes in input physics. Following the ad hoc suggestion of Clayton (1974), the calculations were repeated with the high energy tail of the Maxwell distribution of relative ion velocities depleted by various amounts. As an example of the technique of evolving a portion of a star a second application to the solar neutrino problem is made