I also talked about equipartioning theorem and quantum oscillators for black bodies to explain the presence of all the wavelengths in the curve, however I just ran out of time to show that the probability for the smaller vibrational modes would be low due to higher thermal energy gaps.
Gosh I hope I don’t lose too many marks for that question.
Probably irrelevant to talk about equipartitioning theorem (this is not a theory question on Planck so why should you talk about Rayleigh-Jeans).
Here was my thought process / structure condensed:
1. Sun yellow main sequences -> proton-proton chain -> Not massive enough to provide pressure & temp for CNO cycle
2. Proton proton chain releases energy from the mass defect of the reaction -> Link Einstein's mass-energy equivalence
3. This energy is transformed into two forms. Light energy for the gamma photons released. Majority however is in the kinetic energies of the product atoms.
4. Macroscopically, the produced kinetic energy by the sun's fusion results in an increase in temperature (kinetic energy of particles relates to temp).
5. Atoms in the surface of the sun release electromagnetic energy in quantised packets E = hf from transitions between quantised thermal energy states. (Link Planck's hypothesis) Acts as a black body, irradiating away the energy it produced from fusion.
6. Sun is not a perfect black body as it is not an entirely perfect emitter. However, the sun radiates away much more light than it reflects, making the approximation valid. Furthermore, approximation of black body can be referred from intensity vs. wavelength graph of sun by its characteristic shape (given in question). It has a peak and little emission in the UV region.
7. Using approximation of sun as black body, the sun's surface temperature can be calculated via Wien's displacement law (Insert calculation).
8. Furthermore, with the data provided, the total power output of the sun (its luminosity), can be determined via the inverse square law (Insert calculation).
9. Conclusion (Which is summary of what was said)