What is the Chandrasekhar mass? What role does it play in supernovae?
| |
White dwarfs are about 1.4 solar masses.The maximum possible mass of a white Dwarf is called Chandrasekhar mass. This mass is called Chandrasekhar mass after Indian-American astronomer Subramanyan Chandrasekhar. Chandrasekhar was was awarded Nobel Prize in 1983 for his contribution in theoretical astrophysics.
If a white dwarf exceeds Chandrasekhar mass, the pressure of electrons in the interior of dwarf cannot withstand the gravitational pull, and the star starts to collapse. The temperature inside the star rises so rapidly that carbon fusion begins everywhere throughout the white dwarf. This causes the entire star to explode and become a new supernova.
No comments:
Post a Comment