23: The Death of Stars

Question 1

the maximum mass a star can end its life with and still become a white dwarf (equals 1.4 times the mass of the Sun)

Answer 1

Chandrasekhar limit

Question 2

a gas that resists further compression because no two electrons can be in the same place at the same time doing the same thing (Pauli exclusion principle)

Answer 2

degenerate gas

Question 3

a pulsar that rotates so quickly that it can give off hundreds of pulses per second (and its period is therefore measured in ___)

Answer 3

millisecond pulsar

Question 4

a compact object of extremely high density composed almost entirely of neutrons (degenerate neutrons)

Answer 4

neutron star

Question 5

the cataclysmic explosion produced in a binary system, temporarily increasing its luminosity by hundreds to thousands of times

Answer 5

nova

Question 6

a variable radio source of small physical size that emits very rapid radio pulses in very regular periods that range from fractions of a second to several seconds; now understood to be a rotating, magnetic neutron star that is energetic enough to produce a detectable beam of radiation and particles

Answer 6

pulsar

Question 7

a stellar explosion produced at the endpoint of the evolution of stars whose mass exceeds roughly 10 times the mass of the Sun

Answer 7

type II supernova

Question 8

a stellar explosion produced by the complete destruction of a white dwarf in a binary system

Answer 8

typa Ia supernova

Question 9

a stellar explosion produced by a massive star that has been stripped of its outer hydrogen layer - responsible for long-duration gamma-ray bursts

Answer 9

type Ic supernova