Editing White dwarf (section)

=== Stars with medium to high mass ===
If a star is massive enough, its core will eventually become sufficiently hot to fuse carbon to neon, and then to fuse neon to iron. Such a star will not become a white dwarf, because the mass of its central, non-fusing core, initially supported by electron degeneracy pressure, will eventually exceed the largest possible mass supportable by degeneracy pressure. At this point the core of the star will [[gravitational collapse|collapse]] and it will explode in a [[core-collapse supernova]] that will leave behind a remnant neutron star, [[black hole]], or possibly a more exotic form of [[compact star]].<ref name="evo" /><ref>
{{cite journal
 |bibcode=2005JPhG...31S.651S
 |arxiv=astro-ph/0412215
 |doi= 10.1088/0954-3899/31/6/004
 |title=Strange quark matter in stars: A general overview
 |date=2005
 |last1=Schaffner-Bielich |first1=Jürgen
 |journal=Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics
 |volume=31 |issue=6 |pages=S651–S657
 |s2cid=118886040
}}</ref> Some main-sequence stars, of perhaps {{solar mass|8 to 10}}, although sufficiently massive to [[Carbon-burning process|fuse carbon to neon and magnesium]], may be insufficiently massive to [[Neon-burning process|fuse neon]]. Such a star may leave a remnant white dwarf composed chiefly of [[oxygen]], neon, and [[magnesium]], provided that its core does not collapse, and provided that fusion does not proceed so violently as to blow apart the star in a [[supernova]].<ref>
{{cite journal
 |title=Evolution of 8–10&nbsp;solar mass stars toward electron capture supernovae. I – Formation of electron-degenerate O + NE + MG cores
 |date=1984
 |last1=Nomoto |first1=K.
 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal
 |volume=277 |page=791
 |bibcode=1984ApJ...277..791N
 |doi= 10.1086/161749 |doi-access=free
}}</ref><ref name=Woolsey2002>
{{cite journal
 |bibcode=2002RvMP...74.1015W
 |doi= 10.1103/RevModPhys.74.1015
 |title=The evolution and explosion of massive stars
 |date=2002
 |last1=Woosley |first1=S. E.
 |last2=Heger |first2=A.
 |last3= Weaver
 |first3= T. A.
 |journal=Reviews of Modern Physics
 |volume=74 |issue=4 |pages=1015–1071
}}</ref> Although a few white dwarfs have been identified that may be of this type, most evidence for the existence of such comes from the novae called ''ONeMg'' or ''neon'' novae. The spectra of these [[nova]]e exhibit abundances of neon, magnesium, and other intermediate-mass elements that appear to be only explicable by the accretion of material onto an oxygen–neon–magnesium white dwarf.<ref name="oxne" /><ref>
{{cite journal
 |bibcode=2004A&A...421.1169W
 |arxiv= astro-ph/0404325
 |doi= 10.1051/0004-6361:20047154
 |title=Chandra and FUSE spectroscopy of the hot bare stellar core H?1504+65
 |date=2004
 |last1=Werner |first1=K.
 |last2=Rauch |first2=T.
 |last3=Barstow |first3=M. A.
 |last4=Kruk |first4=J. W.
 |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics
 |volume=421 |issue=3 |pages=1169–1183
 |s2cid= 2983893
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite journal
 |bibcode=1994ApJ...425..797L
 |doi= 10.1086/174024
 |title=On the interpretation and implications of nova abundances: An abundance of riches or an overabundance of enrichments
 |date=1994
 |last1=Livio |first1=Mario
 |last2=Truran |first2=James W.
 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal
 |volume=425 |page=797
 |doi-access=free
}}</ref>