White dwarfs are supported by electron degeneracy pressure.Because is small for the electrons in a compact white dwarf, must be large (by the uncertainty principle).This means that electrons gain a large momentum which exerts a pressure and supports the star. This leads to the paradoxical result that the more massive a white dwarf, the smaller its radius. The Chandrasekhar limit is the maximum mass a white dwarf may have, where is the solar mass.Shu (1982, p. 128) gives . The most massive white dwarf observed is RE J0317-853, with a mass of where is the solar mass (Barstow et al.1995). Most white dwarfs have masses and radii , where is the Earth radius.A white dwarf shines by radiating internal heat, eventually cooling to a black dwarf.
回复Comments
{commenttime}{commentauthor}
{CommentUrl}
{commentcontent}