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[29.04] Maximum Stellar Iron Core Mass Just Prior to Core Collapse

F.W. Giacobbe (Chicago Research Center/American Air Liquide, Inc.)

An analytical method of estimating the mass of a stellar iron core, just prior to core collapse, is described in this paper. The method employed depends, in part, upon the true relativistic mass increase experienced by electrons within a highly compressed iron core, just before core collapse, and is significantly different from a more typical Chandrasekhar mass limit approach. This technique produced a maximum stellar iron core mass value of 1.95 x 10³⁰ kg which is only slightly less than one solar mass. This mass value is very near the minimum mass found for neutron stars in a recent survey of actual neutron star masses. Although higher neutron star masses may be more typical, these higher mass neutron stars are believed to be formed as a result of fallback or accretion of additional non-ferrous matter after an initial collapse event involving an iron core having a mass no greater than 1.95 x 10³⁰ kg.

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