Analytic studies in nuclear astrophysics

Five studies are presented in nuclear astrophysics, which deal with different stages of stellar evolution and which use analytic techniques as opposed to numerical ones. Two problems are described in neutrino astrophysics: the solar-neutrino puzzle is analyzed in the framework of the MSW mechanism for the enhancement of neutrino oscillations in matter; and the cooling of neutron stars is studied by calculating the neutrino emissivity from strangeness condensation. Radiative transfer is then examined as applied to SN1987A: its early spectrum and bolometric corrections are calculated by developing an analytic model which can describe both the extended nature of the envelope and the non-LTE state of the radiation field in the scattering-dominated early atmosphere; and a model-independent relation is derived between mass and kinetic energy for the hydrogen envelope of SN1987A, using only direct observations of its luminosity and photospheric velocity. Finally, an analytic approach is presented to relate the softness of the EOS of dense nuclear matter in the core of a supernova, the hydrostatic structure of such core and the initial strength of the shock wave