Abstract
This paper present two new theorems on the theory of the stability of highly relativistic stars. Thefirst theorem states that a highly relativistic, spherical star is stable if and only if its adiabatic index (assumed to be constant in the interior regions) is greater than a certain critical value,Γ crit which depends in a specified way on the high-density equation of state. This critical value is analogous to the Newtonian value\(\Gamma _{{\text{crit}}} = \tfrac{4}{3}\), but because of relativistic effects it is typically somewhat larger than\(\tfrac{4}{3}\). Thesecond theorem shows that at high central densities, the curves of —(binding energy) vs. radius, —E B (R) for certain hot, isentropic sequences of stellar models must exhibit damped clockwise spirals. This spiraling reflects the onset of instability in one radial mode of pulsation after another as the central density increases along the sequence.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bardeen, J. M.: 1965, unpublished Ph.D. thesis, California Institute of Technology (available from University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan).
Bardeen, J. M., Thorne K. S., and Meltzer, D. W.: 1966,Astrophys. J. 145, 505.
Bisnovatyi-Kogan, G. and Thorne, K. S.: 1970, paper in preparation.
Chandrasekhar, S.: 1964a,Phys. Rev. Letters 12, 114, 437.
Chandrasekhar, S.: 1964b,Astrophys. J. 140, 417.
Curtis, A. R.: 1950,Proc. Roy. Soc. (London) Ser. A. 200, 248.
Dmitriev, N. A. and Holin, S. A.: 1963, chapter inVoprosi Kosmogonii 9, Akad. Nauk USSR, Moscow.
Fowler, W. A.: 1964,Rev. Mod. Phys. 36, 545, 1104.
Fowler, W. A.: 1966, inHigh Energy Astrophysics (Proceedings of Course 35 of the International Summer School of Physics ‘Enrico Fermi’). Academic Press, New York.
Harrison, B. K.: 1965,Phys. Rev. 137, B1644.
Harrison, B. K., Thorne, K. S., Wakano, M. and Wheeler, J. A.: 1965,Gravitation Theory and Gravitational Collapse, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Meltzer, D. W. and Thorne, K. S.: 1966,Astrophys. J. 145, 514.
Thorne, K. S.: 1967, inHigh Energy Astrophysics, Vol. 3 (ed. by C. De Witt, E. Schatzman, and P. Veron), Gordon and Breach, New York.
Tooper, R. F.: 1965,Astrophys. J. 142, 1541.
Wheeler, J. A.: 1966,Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 4, 393.
Zel'dovich, Ya. B. and Novikov, I. D.: 1967,Relyativistkaya Astrofizika, Izdatel'stvo Nauka, Moscow. (English translation:Relativistic Astrophysics, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, in preparation.)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ipser, J.R. On the stability of ultrarelativistic stars. Astrophys Space Sci 7, 361–373 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00653277
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00653277