Fusor is a proposed term for an astronomical object which is capable of core fusion. The term is a more inclusive term than "star".
Motivation
To help clarify the nomenclature of celestial bodies, Gibor Basri[a] proposed to the IAU that any "object that achieves core fusion during its lifetime" be called a fusor.[1]
This definition includes any form of nuclear fusion, so the lowest possible mass of a fusor was set at roughly 13 times that of Jupiter, at which point deuterium fusion becomes possible. This is significantly smaller than the point at which sustained hydrogen fusion becomes possible, around 60 times the mass of Jupiter. Objects are considered "stellar" when they are about 75 times the mass of Jupiter, when gravitational contraction, i.e. contraction of the object due to gravity, is halted by heat generated by the nuclear reaction in their interiors.[1] Fusors would include active stars, dead stars, and many brown dwarfs.
The introduction of the term "fusor" would allow for a simple definition:
Fusor – An object capable of core fusion
Planemo – A round non-fusor
Planet – A planemo that orbits a fusor
In this context, the word round is understood to mean "whose surface is very nearly on the gravitational equipotential", and orbits to mean "whose primary orbit is now, or was in the past around", and capable implies fusion is possible sometime during the existence of the object by itself.[2]
See also
Look up fusor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Dwarf planet
Exoplanet
Gas giant
Mesoplanet
Planetar (astronomy)
Planetesimal
Planetoid
Pulsar planet
Footnotes
Dr. Gibor Basri is a professor of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley.
References
Basri, Gibor (Nov–Dec 2003). "Defining "Planet"". Mercury. Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
Basri, Gibor; Brown, Michael E. (January 16, 2006). "Planetesimals to brown dwarfs: What is a planet?" (PDF). Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. p. 213.
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Fusion power, processes and devices
Core topics
Nuclear fusion
Timeline List of experiments Nuclear power Nuclear reactor Atomic nucleus Fusion energy gain factor Lawson criterion Magnetohydrodynamics Neutron Plasma
Processes,
methods
Confinement
type
Gravitational
Alpha process Triple-alpha process CNO cycle Fusor Helium flash Nova
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vte
Accretion Molecular cloud Bok globule Young stellar object
Protostar Pre-main-sequence Herbig Ae/Be T Tauri FU Orionis Herbig–Haro object Hayashi track Henyey track
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Structure
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Properties
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Star systems
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Related articles
Substellar object
Brown dwarf Sub-brown dwarf Planet Galactic year Galaxy Guest Gravity Intergalactic Planet-hosting stars Tidal disruption event
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