What condition causes a stellar core to collapse completely into a black hole instead of stabilizing as a neutron star?
Answer
The core mass exceeding approximately $3 M_{\odot}$.
The ultimate fate of a collapsed stellar core depends on its final mass exceeding a critical threshold. If the mass of the core surpasses roughly three times the mass of our Sun ($3 M_{\odot}$), the force of gravity becomes overwhelming. At this point, even the immense resistance provided by neutron degeneracy pressure is insufficient to counteract the inward crush. Consequently, the core collapses indefinitely, compressing the matter to infinite density and forming a singularity enclosed by an event horizon—a black hole.
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