An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics · Problem 5.14

Telescopes — Carroll & Ostlie

Physics — Astrophysics · heisenberg-uncertainty-principle

Problem

A white dwarf is a very dense star, with its ions and electrons packed extremely close together. Each electron may be considered to be located within a region of size Δx≈1.5×10−12\Delta x \approx 1.5 \times 10^{-12} m. Use Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, Eq. (5.19), to estimate the minimum speed of the electron. Do you think that the effects of relativity will be important for these stars?

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