Fission in White Dwarfs as a New Supernova Mechanism II

The first solids that form as a white dwarf (WD) starts to crystallize are expected to be greatly enriched in actinides. Previously [PRL 126, 1311010] we found that these solids might support a nuclear fission chain reaction that could ignite carbon burning and provide a new Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) mechanism involving an isolated WD. Here we explore this fission mechanism in more detail and calculate the final temperature and density after the chain reaction and discuss several possibly open physics questions for this mechanism.

*This research was supported in part by the US Department of Energy Office of Science Office of Nuclear Physics grants DE-FG02-87ER40365 and DE-SC0018083 (NUCLEI SCIDAC).

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Bulletin of the American Physical Society

2021 Fall Meeting of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics

Volume 66, Number 8

Monday–Thursday, October 11–14, 2021; Virtual; Eastern Daylight Time

Session KD: Nuclear Astrophysics V

Abstract: KD.00002 : Fission in White Dwarfs as a New Supernova Mechanism II *

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