Eddington number
E327445
The Eddington number is a dimensionless quantity in astrophysics that represents the maximum luminosity a star can have before radiation pressure overcomes gravitational attraction, leading to mass loss.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Eddington number canonical | 2 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
astrophysical parameter
ⓘ
dimensionless quantity ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
accreting compact objects
ⓘ
accretion disks ⓘ stars ⓘ |
| category |
radiative transfer
ⓘ
stellar astrophysics ⓘ theoretical astrophysics ⓘ |
| constraint | Γ is non-negative ⓘ |
| dependsOn |
luminosity of the star
ⓘ
mass of the star ⓘ opacity of stellar material ⓘ |
| describes | ratio of stellar luminosity to Eddington luminosity ⓘ |
| field | astrophysics ⓘ |
| hasComponent |
Eddington limit
ⓘ
surface form:
Eddington luminosity L_Edd
gravitational constant G ⓘ opacity κ ⓘ speed of light c ⓘ stellar luminosity L ⓘ stellar mass M ⓘ |
| hasDefinition | Γ = L / L_Edd ⓘ |
| hasPhysicalMeaning |
Γ < 1 implies gravity dominates over radiation pressure
ⓘ
Γ > 1 implies radiation pressure exceeds gravity ⓘ Γ ≈ 1 implies radiation pressure comparable to gravity ⓘ |
| hasThresholdCondition | Γ = 1 corresponds to Eddington limit ⓘ |
| hasUnit | dimensionless ⓘ |
| isDimensionless | true ⓘ |
| mathematicalForm | Γ = κ L / (4 π c G M) ⓘ |
| namedAfter | Arthur Stanley Eddington ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
Eddington limit
ⓘ
Eddington limit ⓘ
surface form:
Eddington luminosity
Eddington limit ⓘ
surface form:
Eddington ratio
|
| relatedTo |
gravitational attraction
ⓘ
mass loss from stars ⓘ radiation pressure ⓘ stellar winds ⓘ |
| symbol |
Γ
ⓘ
γ_E ⓘ |
| usedFor |
assessing stability of luminous stars
ⓘ
characterizing massive stars near Eddington limit ⓘ determining onset of radiation-driven mass loss ⓘ |
| usedIn |
models of luminous blue variables
ⓘ
quasar and AGN accretion models ⓘ theory of massive star evolution ⓘ |
| usedToInfer |
likelihood of strong stellar winds
ⓘ
proximity of an object to its Eddington limit ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.