This chapter introduces the different classes of compact objects—white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes—that are relevant for gravitational-wave astronomy. The ideas are placed in the context of developing an understanding of the likely endpoint(s) of stellar evolution. Key ideas like Fermi gases and the Chandrasekhar mass are discussed, as is the emergence of general relativity as a cornerstone of astrophysics in the 1950s. Issues associated with different formation channels for, in particular, black holes are considered. The chapter ends with a discussion of the supermassive black holes that are found at the centre of galaxies.
AbstractI argue that the observational evidence for white dwarf-white dwarf mergers supports the view that they give rise to ultra-massive white dwarfs or neutron stars through accretion induced collapse. The implications for the progenitors of Type Ia SNe are discussed.
Neutrino-pair bremsstrahlung rate is calculated in the framework of the Weinberg-Salam theory for the dense matter relevant to the interior of white dwarfs and neutron stars. Ionic correlations both in the liquid state and in the bcc lattice state have been taken into account accurately. It is found that the ionic correlation in the liquid state reduces the neutrino-pair bremsstrahlung rate typically by a factor 2–20 depending on the element and temperature. It is also found that accurate inclusion of the Debye-Waller factor reduces the neutrino-pair bremsstrahlung rate in the lattice state typically by a factor 2.
The internal structure of neutron stars and white dwarfs, and the Jacobi virial equation
