Chandrasekhar limit
What Chandrasekhar limit means in Physics A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of Chandrasekhar limit
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Reference: OCR
The maximum mass a white dwarf can have, approximately 1.4 solar masses, above which degeneracy pressure cannot support the star.
A white dwarf in a binary system accretes matter from a companion and approaches this limit, triggering runaway carbon fusion.
Topics that use Chandrasekhar limit
- Supernovae, neutron stars and black holes (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Stars (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Black hole
- Neutron star
- Supernova
- Accretion
- Active galactic nuclei
- dark energy
- Electron degeneracy pressure
- Gravitational collapse
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