Anticollapse

Anticollapse is a concept used in physics and related fields to describe conditions under which a system resists gravitational or structural collapse. In astrophysics, anticollapse refers to the balance between inward gravitational forces and outward pressure or other stabilizing influences that prevents collapse of a stellar or planetary object. The classic example is hydrostatic equilibrium in stars, maintained by thermal and radiation pressure, and in degenerate matter where electron or neutron degeneracy pressure provides resistance to compression. White dwarfs and neutron stars are examples of objects stabilized against gravity by degeneracy pressure. Rotation and magnetic fields can also contribute to anticollapse by providing centrifugal support or magnetic tension.

In dynamic scenarios, anticollapse describes a behavior in which an initially contracting region halts its inward motion and becomes stable or rebounds, as imagined in some bouncing cosmology models or in certain core-collapse supernova mechanisms where pressure gradients reverse infall. In geophysics and planetary science, anticollapse notions arise when strong internal strength or rapid rotation counteracts external compression, reducing the likelihood of fragmentation.

See also gravitational collapse, degeneracy pressure, hydrostatic equilibrium, neutron star, white dwarf.