Abstract.
Stable relativistic stars form a two-parameter family,
parametrized by mass
and angular velocity. Limits on each of these quantities are associated
with relativistic
instabilities discovered by Chandrasekhar: A radial instability, to
gravitational collapse
or explosion, marks the upper and lower limits on their mass; and an
instability driven
by gravitational waves may set an upper limit on their spin. Our summary
of relativistic
stability theory given here is based on and includes excerpts from the
book Rotating
Relativistic Stars, by the present authors (Friedman & Sterigioulas
2011).
Keywords : stars:general - stars:rotation -
stars:neutron - instabilities