Question

If I understand correctly neutron stars are so dense that general relativistic effects are not negligible anymore. Does this mean that the volume inside of neutron stars is bigger than we would expect because of the resulting spacetime curvature?

Answer 1

Neutron stars are incredibly dense objects, and their extreme density causes spacetime to curve significantly. As a result, the volume inside a neutron star is smaller than what we would expect based on its mass. However, the concept of volume becomes less meaningful near the singularity at the core of a neutron star.

Step-by-step explanation:

Neutron stars are incredibly dense objects, with gravity at their surface being 1011 times stronger than on Earth. Due to this extreme density, the effects of general relativity become significant. According to general relativity, gravity is the curvature of spacetime, so the spacetime around neutron stars is heavily curved.

This means that the volume inside neutron stars is actually smaller than what we would expect based solely on their mass. The extreme mass of neutron stars causes spacetime to curve so much that the actual volume inside the star is compressed, giving the appearance of a smaller volume.

However, it is important to note that the concept of volume inside a neutron star becomes less meaningful as we approach the singularity at its core, where the laws of physics as we understand them break down.