A foe is a unit of energy equal to 10⁴⁴ joules or 10⁵¹ ergs, used to express the large amount of energy released by a supernova.^[1] An acronym for " fifty-one ergs",^[2] the term was introduced by Gerald E. Brown of Stony Brook University in his work with Hans Bethe, because "it came up often enough in our work".^[3]

Without mentioning the foe, Steven Weinberg proposed in 2006 "a new unit called the bethe" (B) with the same value, to "replace" it.^[4]

This unit of measure is convenient because a supernova typically releases about one foe of observable energy in a very short period (which can be measured in seconds). In comparison, if the Sun's current luminosity is the same as its average luminosity over its lifetime, it would release 3.827×10²⁶ W × 3.1536×10⁷ s/yr × 10¹⁰ yr ≈ 1.2 foe. One solar mass has a rest mass energy of 1787 foe.

See also

• Orders of magnitude (energy)

References

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