Evolutionary problems of Cepheids and other giants investigated with new radiative opacities

Comparison of evolutionary tracks, pulsation constants, and linearized pulsational-stability coefficients for stellar models applicable to the problems of classical Cepheids, whose structures were calculated using the Cox-Stewart (1965) opacities and a recently computed set of opacities. The latter are based on the hot 'Thomas-Fermi' statistical model of the atom for all elements heavier than hydrogen and helium; they contain larger helium and metals contributions, but a smaller hydrogen contribution than the former ones for the same chemical composition. The difference in metals contribution affects mainly the location and shape of the evolutionary tracks on the H-R diagram, while the difference in hydrogen and helium contributions has its greatest effect on the pulsational properties of the Cepheid models. From the comparison of evolutionary tracks it is concluded that: (1) the theoretical M/L relation for evolved giants is changed very little by using the second set of opacities; (2) Q-values for the fundamental mode of radial pulsation in Cepheid envelope models increase if the second set is used, but the classical mass discrepancy remains; and (3) the second set leads to pulsational-instability.