Does Pauli's Exclusion Principle Prevent Atoms from Coexisting in Stars?

[Strang3r]

Does the exclusion principle mean that no atom and sub atomic particles can exist at the same place?

Can I safely say that in stars the gravity is opposed by this aspect or implication of the principle?

 

[olgranpappy]

Does the exclusion principle mean that no atom and sub atomic particles can exist at the same place?

it only applies to Fermions, e.g., electrons. No two electrons can occupy the same orbital state. More generally the many-body wavefunction of a system of electrons must be anti-symmetric with respect to interchange of any two electrons.

Can I safely say that in stars the gravity is opposed by this aspect or implication of the principle?

there can be a degeneracy pressure, e.g., in neutron stars (neutrons are fermions), that opposes gravitational collapse.

 

[olgranpappy]

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