Violent phase of the core helium flash

The calculations described previously by Cole and Deupree were continued until the core helium flash reached a violent phase. Suitable alterations were made to the input physics, and the violent phase followed for about 5 seconds. We find a deflagration wave, not a detonation wave as previous investigators of violent core flashes have found. We attribute this difference primarily to the nonspherical nature of the burning in our two-dimensional code. Velocities of core material reach 2000 km s-1, well below either the sound speed or the escape speed. It is highly likely that some mass loss will occur, but complete disruption of the star does not occur