What is the resulting object if the collapsed core mass remains below approximately 2.5 to 3 solar masses ($M_ eq$)?
Answer
A neutron star.
The fate of the stellar remnant is strictly dictated by the mass of the compressed core remaining after the stellar envelope has been ejected. If the mass of this core is below the critical threshold, estimated to be between roughly 2.5 and 3 solar masses, the collapse is successfully resisted by a powerful quantum mechanical effect known as neutron degeneracy pressure. This pressure, which arises because densely packed neutrons resist occupying the same quantum state, effectively halts the implosion, resulting in the formation and long-term stability of a neutron star.
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