what prevents thermonuclear reactions from occuring at the center of a white dwarf? if no thermonuclear reactions take place in its core, why doesnt the star collapse?
2007-01-15 08:57:49 · 2 answers · asked by OK123 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The poor star is cooling down. It has used up its fuel and is not big enough to continue eating up what it has left. Bigger stars would continue fusion until it got to elements as heavy as iron. White dwarfs are mainly carbon and oxygen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_dwarf
It can't collapse because there is a limit to how much electrons can be squeezed together.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_degeneracy_pressure
2007-01-15 09:01:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
there's no more thermonuclear reaction because the remaining matter is incapable to fuel a stable fusion process, its probably partially compressed.
Why it does not collpase ? because it is already.. it collapsed into a structure where there is an electron gas on its surface. It can't collapse any further cause the mass wasn't large enough to make it a neutron-star or a black hole.
2007-01-15 17:41:23 · answer #2 · answered by blondnirvana 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋