A white dwarf star is supported from collapse under gravity by:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A white dwarf star is formed after a low to medium mass star has exhausted all its nuclear fuel and the outer layers drift off into space, leaving behind a core primarily composed of carbon and oxygen. These atoms are packed closely together and are mostly ionized and therefore, no longer bound by electron bonds, and they exert pressure at the same time trying to collapse as . Under the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which states that no two fermions (in this case, electrons) can occupy the same quantum state simultaneously, the electrons resist the pressure from gravity and provide electron degeneracy pressure to support the star from further collapse.

A White Dwarf Star Is Supported from Collapse Under Gravity