Neutrino Theory of Stellar Collapse

Abstract

At the very high temperatures and densities which must exist in the interior of contracting stars during the later stages of their evolution, one must expect a special type of nuclear processes accompanied by the emission of a large number of neutrinos. These neutrinos penetrating almost without difficulty the body of the star, must carry away very large amounts of energy and prevent the central temperature from rising above a certain limit. This must cause a rapid contraction of the stellar body ultimately resulting in a catastrophic collapse. It is shown that energy losses through the neutrinos produced in reactions between free electrons and oxygen nuclei can cause a complete collapse of the star within the time period of half an hour. Although the main energy losses in such collapses are due to neutrino emission which escapes direct observation. the heating of the body of a collapsing star must necessarily lead to the rapid expansion of the outer layers and the tremendous increase of luminosity. It is suggested that stellar collapses of this kind are responsible for the phenomena of novae and supernovae, the difference between the two being probably due to the difference of their masses.