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Helios
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The QM degeneracy pressure puts up a fight but the immensity of the star wins out. Why is this? Is the Pauli Exclusion Principle really a principle? Why does it surrender in this case?
The Pauli exclusion principle never surrenders, all the principle says is that the electrons reach a ground state where they cannot lose any more heat. Losing heat is normally how a star gradually succumbs to gravity, but the PEP prevents that from proceeding to its ultimate conclusion. However, there is still a way that gravity can win out-- by releasing enough energy to make the electrons go relativistic before the whole system reaches its ground state. Relativistic electrons have a different relationship between momentum and kinetic energy, which makes them able to be in their ground state without uniquely specifying a radius-- any radius will do. This makes them susceptible to drastic contraction, especially if processes are going on (like neutronization) that remove kinetic energy via the escape of neutrinos. So we should not say the PEP surrenders, we should say that gravity finds a way to collapse the core without violating the PEP.Helios said:The QM degeneracy pressure puts up a fight but the immensity of the star wins out. Why is this? Is the Pauli Exclusion Principle really a principle? Why does it surrender in this case?
A collapsar is a type of massive, rotating star that has reached the end of its life and collapsed under its own gravity. This collapse creates a supernova explosion and can result in the formation of a black hole. Quantum degeneracy pressure is a fundamental force that counteracts gravity in very dense objects, such as a collapsar, and prevents it from collapsing further.
Quantum degeneracy pressure is a result of the Pauli exclusion principle, which states that two particles cannot occupy the same quantum state. This creates a repulsive force between particles in a dense object, unlike other types of pressure which are caused by collisions or thermal energy.
Quantum degeneracy pressure can only delay the collapse of a collapsar, but it cannot prevent it entirely. As the star continues to collapse and reach higher densities, the quantum degeneracy pressure becomes insufficient to counteract the force of gravity, resulting in the formation of a black hole.
The strength of quantum degeneracy pressure is directly proportional to the mass of the star. This means that the more massive the collapsar, the stronger the quantum degeneracy pressure will be, and the longer it will take for the star to collapse into a black hole.
The rotation of a collapsar can impact its collapse in two ways. First, it can create a centrifugal force that counteracts the force of gravity, delaying the collapse. Second, the rotation can also increase the density of the star, making quantum degeneracy pressure stronger and further delaying the collapse. However, if the rotation becomes too fast, it can overcome the quantum degeneracy pressure and lead to the formation of a black hole.