Neutron Stars
Typical size: R ~ 10 km
Mass: M ~ 1.4 – 3 Msun
Density: r ~ 1014 g/cm3
® Piece of neutron star matter of the size of a sugar cube has a mass of ~ 100 million tons!!!
A supernova explosion of an M > 8 Msun star blows away its outer layers.
The central core will collapse into a compact object of ~ a few Msun.
Pressure
becomes so high that electrons and protons combine to form stable neutrons throughout the
object.
