Hydrostatic lower bound on planetary central pressure

ID: hydrostatic-lower-bound-on-planetary-central-pressure

The hydrostatic pressure support equation in enclosed-mass coordinate is . Since , integration from surface pressure zero to the centre gives
If mass density decreases outward, the mean density within is at least the global mean, so . This improves the bound to
with equality for uniform mass density. Centrally concentrated planets need larger central pressure to support their inner mass.

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