For a spherical star in Newtonian hydrostatic equilibrium, the total supporting pressure satisfieswhere zero external pressure is the idealized vacuum boundary condition. Substitute the enclosed mass from a, set , and integrate inwards:The supplied integral follows directly by differentiating . It yieldsThus , about for the Sun's parameters. This is precisely the equation of state of a polytrope of index one.
For nonrelativistic fully ionized hydrogen with electrons and protons at a common temperature, the gas pressure is . If gas pressure dominates, the resulting temperature profile isNumerically for the Sun's parameters, and tends to zero at the idealized outer edge.
If the photons are additionally assumed to be in local thermodynamic equilibrium with this gas, their radiation pressure is , with . The consistent temperature is instead the unique nonnegative root ofThe left side is strictly increasing in for , so the root is unique. Evaluating the radiation pressure at gives at most for the Sun's parameters, at the centre; the ratio decreases approximately as outwards. The gas-only profile is consequently an excellent approximation within this imposed stellar model.
Hydrostatic equilibrium by itself fixes total pressure, not how it is divided between gas and radiation. Thomson scattering alone does not enforce a common gas–radiation temperature or a Planck photon distribution. Without either neglecting radiation pressure or specifying the radiation field and its thermodynamic closure, a unique gas temperature cannot be inferred from the given mass density alone.
A galaxy cluster deflects background light through its projected gravitational field. In the thin-lens approximation for gravitational lensing, maps image to source angle. Its surface mass density enters throughHere is signed lensing magnification; observed brightness uses . The 's are angular diameter distances to lens, source and between them; denotes lensing shear, not a Lorentz factor. strong gravitational lensing creates arcs and multiple images near critical curves. For an axisymmetric lens, a tangential Einstein ring satisfies mean enclosed convergence one, givingThis is projected enclosed mass, not a general three-dimensional mass profile inferred from a single arc.
weak gravitational lensing uses coherent distortions of many background galaxies. Their intrinsic orientations average approximately to zero, allowing an estimate of reduced shear and a projected mass map. The method traces all gravitating material without assuming hydrostatic equilibrium, which is valuable in merging clusters. Accurate work requires correction of the point spread function, calibrated shape measurement, source redshifts, foreground-member rejection and selection effects. Intrinsic shape noise, unrelated line-of-sight structures and lens-model degeneracies remain. The mass-sheet degeneracy leaves reduced shear unchanged under and , so absolute mass normalization needs additional information.
In the Bullet Cluster, weak gravitational lensing places the main projected mass peaks near the collisionless galaxies, displaced from the X-ray-emitting gas that contains most observed baryon mass. Comparing the lensing, optical and X-ray maps supports a dominant weakly collisional dark component under the usual gravity model; lensing alone does not identify its particle species. Cluster lensing measures projected gravitational mass independently of gas temperature or dynamical equilibrium.[ref]
Three tracers give complementary estimates of a cluster's gravitating mass. First, galaxy redshifts measure a line-of-sight velocity dispersion . For a roughly stationary bound cluster, the virial theorem gives a cluster velocity-dispersion mass estimatewith a coefficient depending on the density profile and orbital anisotropy. The galaxy luminosity and plausible stellar mass-to-light ratio supply too little mass to bind typical rich clusters. Foreground interlopers, substructure, velocity anisotropy and a recent merger can bias the dynamical estimate; a large dispersion is not by itself proof of equilibrium.
Second, diffuse X-ray emission measures a hot intracluster plasma, not merely unresolved starlight. Spectral continuum and lines constrain its temperature, while surface-brightness profiles constrain its density after line-of-sight projection and emissivity modeling. If the gas has constant composition and is approximately spherical and in hydrostatic equilibrium,This cluster hydrostatic mass estimator uses as the mean mass per pressure-supporting particle. The inferred potential requires substantially more mass than the stars plus measured gas, although the gas contains much of the visible baryonic mass. Turbulence, bulk motion, temperature structure and departures from hydrostatic equilibrium are important systematic errors.
Third, strong-lensing arcs and multiple images, together with coherent weak-lensing shear of background galaxies, measure projected gravitational deflection. In general relativity,This cluster gravitational-lensing mass estimate does not require the cluster galaxies or gas to be in dynamical equilibrium. It does require source-distance information, a lens model and control of point-spread-function-induced shapes, line-of-sight projection, unrelated line-of-sight structure and the mass-sheet degeneracy.
The convergence of dynamical, hydrostatic and lensing masses, exceeding the baryonic inventory, is the principal evidence. The Bullet Cluster adds a spatial test: collisional X-ray gas lags behind the galaxies during the merger, while the inferred lensing concentrations lie nearer the collisionless galaxy component. An additional weakly collisional gravitating mass accounts naturally for that separation.[ref]
A direct empirical proof of the existence of dark matter by Douglas Clowe and others. L109–L113, optical/X-ray/lensing comparison
The conclusion assumes a gravitational framework and does not identify the microscopic dark-matter particle; the different tracer systematics should be evaluated rather than treating three mass estimates as completely assumption free.A thin spherical shell has outward pressure force and inward gravitational force . Hydrostatic equilibrium requiresA uniform-density solar model gives , , and after integration from to zero,Thus the appropriate orders of magnitude are – and . The uniform-density approximation underestimates the actual central pressure because the Sun is centrally concentrated. Radiation pressure is neglected in applying the ideal gas law.
Assume an isotropic, stationary spherical galaxy cluster. Its three-dimensional velocity dispersion obeys . For a uniform sphere, the virial theorem gives , henceA different density profile changes the coefficient, so is the meaningful scale. For isothermal X-ray gas in hydrostatic equilibrium,Using and a representative slope – at gives –. The temperature and extent alone cannot fix this coefficient without a density profile. The total luminosity is , so the previously inferred mass-to-light ratio gives
Using the stipulated as a wavelength-density peak, Wien's displacement law givesThis is a rough estimate from the supplied characteristic wavelength, not an accurate measurement of the Sun's effective temperature. The Sun emits a broad, approximately thermal visible spectrum and appears white outside the atmosphere; its familiar yellow appearance does not identify a monochromatic thermal peak. A photospheric effective temperature near instead corresponds to a wavelength-density maximum near .[ref]
Sun colouring page by NASA Space Place. Statement that the Sun emits all visible colours and appears white
[ref]The core must be much hotter to provide the pressure required for hydrostatic equilibrium and to sustain nuclear fusion. Outward energy transport through an opaque interior proceeds down a temperature gradient, by radiative diffusion and then convection through much of the outer envelope. The observable photosphere radiates to space at the temperature needed to carry the solar luminosity, ; it is not an unobstructed view of the hot core. The printed core estimate above million degrees is also too high for the present Sun: the standard central temperature is about . This correction leaves the large core-to-surface contrast and its explanation intact.[ref]
For spherical hydrostatic equilibrium, the stellar structure equations includeEliminate to obtain . Since through the interior, integration givesWith negligible surface pressure, this provesThis is a conservative lower bound; concentrating mass near the centre increases the required pressure.
For the temperature inference assume predominantly ideal gas support, a nearly fully ionized hydrogen–helium mixture with mean molecular weight , and the hottest region at the centre. A rigorous scale estimate follows from the stellar virial theorem, rather than substituting the mean mass density for the unknown central mass density. With negligible surface pressure,The ideal gas law gives . The mass-weighted mean temperature consequently obeysThis establishes several million kelvin under the stated physical assumptions. The central pressure inequality alone does not give a central temperature bound without an equation of state and information about mass density or an integrated argument.
- A main-sequence star is supported by hydrostatic equilibrium and powered predominantly by hydrogen nuclear fusion in its core. More massive main-sequence stars are generally hotter and more luminous and consume their fuel faster.
- On the red giant branch, core hydrogen is exhausted. Hydrogen-shell nuclear fusion surrounds an inert helium core; the envelope expands and cools while the luminosity rises. In low-mass stars the contracting helium core becomes supported by electron degeneracy pressure before helium ignition.
- A horizontal-branch star has core helium nuclear fusion and usually hydrogen-shell nuclear fusion. Its luminosity varies comparatively little across the branch, while envelope mass produces a wide range of effective temperatures. It follows helium ignition in a low-mass red giant.
- A white dwarf is a compact exposed remnant, typically with a carbon-oxygen interior after ordinary low- or intermediate-mass stellar evolution. Electron degeneracy pressure supports it; sustained core nuclear fusion has ended. It can be hot yet faint because its radius is small, and it moves down its cooling sequence as it loses stored thermal energy.