Radiation-to-degeneracy pressure boundary (source code)

= Radiation-to-degeneracy pressure boundary

Equating <radiation pressure> to cold <electron degeneracy pressure> gives $T=[3P_e(\rho)/a_{\rm rad}]^{1/4}$. Because the two <Electron> <pressure> limits scale as $\rho^{5/3}$ and $\rho^{4/3}$, this boundary has logarithmic slopes $5/12$ and $1/3$, respectively. Above it, <photon> <pressure> can dominate even when the net <Electrons> remain degenerate; degeneracy of one component and dominance of the total <pressure> are different criteria. Thermal pairs modify the high-temperature <pressure> comparison.