A Rigorous Examination of the Chandrasekhar Theory of Stellar Collapse (original) (raw)
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Abstract
Some of the results of a rigorous analysis of the Chandrasekhar (1931 and 1984) semiclassical theory of stellar collapse are presented here. They are of two kinds. The first concerns the Chandrasekhar equation itself; the uniqueness of the solution is proven, and also the fact that the solution has certain properties not noted before. The second is a derivation of the Chandrasekhar equation from quantum mechanics (in the limit of small gravitational constant) without making a priori assumptions about the smallness of correlation effects. A parallel derivation is made for stars composed of bosons (such as axion stars, if they are ever found to exist); the resulting equation is quite different from the Chandrasekhar equation, for it is of the Hartree type and involves density gradients.
Publication:
The Astrophysical Journal
Pub Date:
December 1987
DOI:
Bibcode:
Keywords:
- Chandrasekhar Equation;
- Gravitational Collapse;
- Stellar Composition;
- Stellar Models;
- Bosons;
- Density Distribution;
- Gravitational Constant;
- Hartree Approximation;
- Quantum Mechanics;
- Uniqueness Theorem;
- Astrophysics;
- STARS: COLLAPSED;
- STARS: INTERIORS