Paper detail

SNe Ia: Can Chandrasekhar Mass Explosions Reproduce the Observed Zoo?

The question of the nature of the progenitor of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is important both for our detailed understanding of stellar evolution and for their use as cosmological probes of the dark energy. Much of the basic features of SNe Ia can be understood directly from the nuclear physics, a fact which Gerry would have appreciated. We present an overview of the current observational and theoretical situation and show that it not incompatible with most SNe Ia being the results of thermonuclear explosions near the Chandrasekhar mass.