Neutron Star

A neutron star is a type of stellar remnant that can result from the gravitational collapse of a massive star during a Type II, Type Ib or Type Ic supernova event. Such stars are composed almost entirely of neutrons, which are subatomic particles without electrical charge and with slightly larger mass than protons. Neutron stars are very hot and are supported against further collapse by quantum degeneracy pressure due to the Pauli exclusion principle. This principle states that no two neutrons (or any other fermionic particles) can occupy the same place and quantum state simultaneously.

A typical neutron star has a mass between about 1.4 and 3.2 solar masses (see Chandrasekhar Limit), with a corresponding radius of about 12 km if the Akmal–Pandharipande–Ravenhall equation of state (APR EOS) is used. In contrast, the Sun's radius is about 60,000 times that. Neutron stars have overall densities predicted by the APR EOS of 3.7×1017 to 5.9×1017 kg/m3 (2.6×1014 to 4.1×1014 times the density of the Sun), which compares with the approximate density of an atomic nucleus of 3×1017 kg/m3. The neutron star's density varies from below 1×109 kg/m3 in the crust, increasing with depth to above 6×1017 or 8×1017 kg/m3 deeper inside (denser than an atomic nucleus). This density is approximately equivalent to the mass of a Boeing 747 compressed to the size of a small grain of sand, or the human population condensed to the size of a sugar cube.

In general, compact stars of less than 1.44 solar masses – the Chandrasekhar limit – are white dwarfs, and above 2 to 3 solar masses (the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit), a quark star might be created; however, this is uncertain. Gravitational collapse will usually occur on any compact star between 10 and 25 solar masses and produce a black hole. Some neutron stars rotate very rapidly and emit beams of electromagnetic radiation as pulsars.

Read more about Neutron StarFormation, Properties, Structure, History of Discoveries, Rotation, Population and Distances, Binary Neutron Stars, Subtypes, Giant Nucleus, Examples of Neutron Stars

Other articles related to "neutron star, star, neutron stars, stars":

Examples of Neutron Stars
... PSR J0108-1431 – closest neutron star LGM-1 – the first recognized radio-pulsar PSR B1257+12 – the first neutron star discovered with planets (a millisecond pulsar ...
Small Astronomy Satellite 3 - Research Results
... established the identification of bursting X-ray sources with neutron star binary systems ... Discovery of the 3.6 s pulsations of the transient neutron star/Be star binary 4U 0115+63 ... Many Be star/neutron star binaries were subsequently discovered as a class of X-ray emitters ...
Strangelet - Dangers
... In the case of a neutron star, the conversion scenario seems much more plausible ... A neutron star is in a sense a giant nucleus (20 km across), held together by gravity, but it is electrically neutral and so does not electrostatically repel ... If a strangelet hit a neutron star, it could convert a small region of it, and that region would grow to consume the entire star, creating a quark star ...
Radio-quiet Neutron Star
... A radio-quiet neutron star is a neutron star that does not seem to emit radio emissions like most other neutron stars ... Most neutron stars are pulsars, and emit radio radiation ... Quark stars, theoretical neutron star-like objects composed of quark matter, may be radio quiet, according to some theories ...
Stellar Magnetic Field - Magnetic Stars
... A T Tauri star is a type of pre–main sequence star that is being heated through gravitational contraction and has not yet begun to burn hydrogen at its core ... They are variable stars that are magnetically active ... The magnetic field of these stars is thought to interact with its strong stellar wind, transferring angular momentum to the surrounding protoplanetary disk ...

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    Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)