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Chapter 21: Problem 32

There are many more main-sequence stars of low mass (less than \(8 \mathrm{M}_{\odot}\) ) than of high mass ( \(8 \mathrm{M}_{\odot}\) or more). Use this fact to explain why white dwarf stars are far more common than neutron stars.

Short Answer

Expert verified
White dwarf stars are more common than neutron stars because the stars that form white dwarfs (those with a mass less than 8 solar masses) are much more common than the high mass stars that form neutron stars.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Life Cycle of Stars

Stars of all masses follow a life cycle from their formation in a nebula, through a main sequence phase, and eventually to their death. The end result of this life cycle is very different for high-mass stars than it is for low-mass stars.
02

Life Cycle of Low-Mass Stars

Stars with masses less than approximately 8 solar masses end their lives relatively peacefully. When these stars have exhausted the fuel in their cores through nuclear fusion, they shed their outer layers and leave behind a white dwarf, a dense, hot core.
03

Life Cycle of High-Mass Stars

Stars that begin with at least 8 times the mass of the Sun end their lives dramatically. After exhausting the nuclear fuel in their cores, these stars explode in a supernova, leaving behind a neutron star, or, if the star is very high mass, a black hole.
04

Number of Low-Mass Vs High-Mass Stars

The fact stated in the problem that there are many more low-mass main-sequence stars than high-mass ones implies that there would be many more stars going the route of the low-mass life cycle, ending up as white dwarfs.

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