astrophysics - Can there be Electron and/or Proton Stars?

1. 
   

   What happens to all of the electrons and protons in the material of a neutron star?

   
   


2. 
   

   Could there ever be an electron star or a proton star?

   
   
   

Answer

If a dense, spherical star were made of uniformly charged matter, there'd be an attractive gravitational force and a repulsive electrical force. These would balance for a very small net charge: $$ dF = \frac1{r^2}\left( - GM_\text{inside} dm + \frac1{4\pi\epsilon_0}Q_\text{inside} dq \right) $$ which balances if $$ \frac{dq}{dm} = \frac{Q_\text{inside}}{M_\text{inside}} = \sqrt{G\cdot 4\pi\epsilon_0} \approx 10^{-18} \frac{e}{\mathrm{GeV}/c^2}. $$ This is approximately one extra fundamental charge per $10^{18}$ nucleons, or a million extra charges per mole — not much. Any more charge than this and the star would be unbound and fly apart.

What actually happens is that the protons and electrons undergo electron capture to produce neutrons and electron-type neutrinos.