Neon That Eats Electrons Starts The Collapse Of Massive Stars

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In the cores of stars that have a mass of 8 to 10 Suns atoms of neon and magnesium catch degenerated electron. But these electrons hold the core against its own gravity. Once they are gone the core collapses and the star goes supernova.

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Image by skeeze from Pixabay

Large stars that have a mass of 8 to 10 Suns usually have a core made from oxygen, magnesium, and neon. Such a stellar core is then full of degenerated electrons that are part of the reason why the core holds up against the constant pressure of ruthless gravity. Once the density of the star core reaches a certain threshold then the magnesium and neon start eating up the degenerated electrons.

Electrons vs. Gravity

This process is called electron capture. Previous studies show that this process happens when the mass of the core of the star is close to the Chandrasekhar limit (about 2.765×10 to the power of 30) which is the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf star. But so far we weren't sure how electron capture can start the creation of a neutron star.

An international team of researchers recently found out that neon in the cores of stars can truly cause the collapse of a star into the extreme version of a neutron star and blast off the star as a supernova by absorbing the degenerated electrons. The scientists studied the evolution of a star with a mass of 8.4 Sun in great detail and ran a number of computer simulations. In the simulations, they focused on the situation in the stellar core that is being shaped by the struggle of the degenerated electrons against the gravity of the star.

The Source Of The Crab Nebula

The results of the simulations indicate that neon and to a smaller degree also magnesium absorb degenerated electrons and make their numbers rapidly dissipate in the core of the star. The process of absorbing the electrons also releases a lot of heat. When the density of the core reaches 10 to the power of 10 grams per cubic centimeter then the oxygen in the core starts fusing creating iron, nickel, and other similar elements. It gets so hot that even protons start escaping from atomic cores only making the process of electron capture accelerate. This is the death of the star.

The result of all of this will very likely be an electron-capture supernova. But in some stars within the mass limit (8 to 10 Suns) something else might happen. Sometimes – because of losses of matter caused by stellar winds – a neutron star will not be created by a supernova. Instead, a white dwarf made from oxygen, magnesium, and neon will be there.

The authors of the study are convinced that the mechanism they described in their study may be the explanation for some of the properties of the supernova from 1054 that created the gorgeous Crab Nebula.

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