Astrophysics 1

Tutorial 12 - The Lane-Emden equation

Lane-Emden equation
The quasi-static interior structure of a star can be determined from a set of equations called
the stellar structure equations. This set contains the hydrostatic equilibrium condition
dP Gm
= −ρ 2 , (1)
dr r
the continuity equation
dm
= 4πr2 ρ, (2)
dr
and two more equations: one for radiation transfer and one for thermal equilibrium. They are
coupled through the dependence of the pressure on temperature, so if the pressure is only a
function of density we can solve these two equation separately. Equations of state of this form,
i.e.

P = Kργ , (3)

are known as polytropic equations of state. Here K and γ are constants. In the last tutorial
we have seen such an equation of state in the case of degenerate ideal gas. In the case of
non-relativistic degenerate electron gas K ≃ 1013 and γ = 5/3. The polytropic index n is
defined by the relation γ = 1 + 1/n.
Let assume that the relevant EOS is the polytropic one, and try to solve for ρ (r). Multi-
plying eq.(1) by r2 /ρ and then differentiating w.r.t. r, gives
 
d r2 dP dm
= −G . (4)
dr ρ dr dr

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Inserting (2) into (4) we have
 
1 d r2 dP
= −4πGρ. (5)
r2 dr ρ dr
Now we substitute the EOS (equation (3) expressed with n) to (5):
 
(1 + n) K 1 d r2 dρ
= −ρ. (6)
4πG r2 dr ρ(n−1)/n dr
We arrived at a second order ODE for ρ (r) . To solve it we need two boundary conditions,
we will use the fact that ρ ∝ P, and we know the boundary values for P : P (R) = 0, so that
ρ (R) = 0. In the other boundary, r = 0, we know that dP/dr ∝ m, so dP/dr (0) = 0. This
implies that dρ/dr (0) = 0. So eq.(6) is uniquely determined by specifying K, n and R, the
star radius.
Now we will transform the equation to dimensionless form. Let us define the dimension-
less function θ, 0 ≤ θ ≤ 1 :

ρ (r) = ρc θn (r) , (7)

where ρc is the mass density at r = 0. Now eq.(6) is transformed into

" #  
(n + 1) K 1 d 2 dθ
(n−1)/n r 2 dr
r = −θn . (8)
4πGρc dr

The quantity in square brackets has dimensions of length squared, so we will define it as a
typical length scale
" #
(n + 1) K
(n−1)/n
= α2 , (9)
4πGρc
and with it we further define a dimensionless variable ξ

r = αξ. (10)

Now we are left with a very clean equation

 
1 d 2 dθ
ξ = −θn , (11)
ξ 2 dξ dξ
this is the Lane-Emden equation. The boundary conditions are that dθ/dξ (0) = 0, and from
the definition of θ: θ (0) = 1. With these boundary conditions we can integrate from ξ = 0,

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and when we arrive at θ (ξs ) = 0, then we know that we arrived to the star’s surface. So the
star’s radius is defined as
R⋆ = αξs ≡ αRn , (12)
and the star’s mass is
Z R⋆ Z ξs
2 3
M⋆ = 4πr ρdr = 4πα ρc ξ 2 θn dξ. (13)
0 0

Using eq.(11) this integral can be written as

Z ξs   
d 2 dθ

2 dθ 
M⋆ = −4πα ρc 3
ξ dξ = −4πα ρc ξs
3
 ≡ 4πα ρc Mn .
3
(14)
0 dξ dξ dξ ξs


The constants Mn = −ξs2 dθ dξ 
, and Rn = ξs , depends only on the polytropic index n. We
ξs
can obtain a relation between the mass and radius of the star, replacing ρc from eq.(9), and α
from eq.(12) we have
  n−1 n−3   n
M⋆ R⋆ (n + 1) K n−1
= 4π , (15)
Mn Rn 4πG
 n−1  3−n
GM⋆ R⋆ [(n + 1) K]n
= . (16)
Mn Rn 4πG

Chandrasekhar’s mass The most massive stars that are held by a degenerate electron pres-
sure (white dwarfs), act as the relativistic variant of that EOS, because of the enormous density
within them. In this case γ = 4/3, n = 3, and from eq.(16) the mass is independent of radius,
meaning that there is only one mass, that depends on K, that can keep the star at hydrostatic
equilibrium. Using eq.(16) again the value of that mass is
 3/2
K
Mch = 4πM3 . (17)
πG
Numerical results gives M3 ≃ 2, and K can be calculated to be
dyn cm−2
K ≃ 5 × 1014 , (18)
(g cm−3 )4/3
so that
Mch ≃ 1.4M⊙ . (19)
This is the known Chandrasekhar’s mass.