Gravitational (In)Stability of Stars

Going to even larger scales, we can use the same principles to investigate the stability of
astronomical objects like stars, where gravitation becomes a major factor.
Starting from the Schr¨odinger equation, and taking the theory of relativity into account, one can in fact obtain bounds on the size of stellar objects, like the Chandrasekhar limit for the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf (which amounts to roughly 1.4 solar
masses).
The Schr¨odinger equation is thus applicable over a huge range of scales, from atoms to stars!

Robert Seiringer — Mathematics as the universal language of nature — Hue University — August 8, 2024