New mass limit for white dwarfs: super-Chandrasekhar type Ia supernova as a new standard candle

TL;DR

This paper proposes that strongly magnetized white dwarfs can exceed the traditional Chandrasekhar limit, leading to super-Chandrasekhar type Ia supernovae, which could serve as a new standard candle for cosmology.

Contribution

It introduces a new mass limit for white dwarfs based on magnetic effects, explaining peculiar supernovae and suggesting a new standard candle for universe expansion measurements.

Findings

White dwarfs can have a maximum mass of 2.58 solar masses due to magnetic effects.

Super-Chandrasekhar supernovae explain over-luminous type Ia supernovae.

Potential new standard candle for cosmological observations.

Abstract

Type Ia supernovae, sparked off by exploding white dwarfs of mass close to Chandrasekhar limit, play the key role to understand the expansion rate of universe. However, recent observations of several peculiar type Ia supernovae argue for its progenitor mass to be significantly super-Chandrasekhar. We show that strongly magnetized white dwarfs not only can violate the Chandrasekhar mass limit significantly, but exhibit a different mass limit. We establish from foundational level that the generic mass limit of white dwarfs is 2.58 solar mass. This explains the origin of over-luminous peculiar type Ia supernovae. Our finding further argues for a possible second standard candle, which has many far reaching implications, including a possible reconsideration of the expansion history of the universe.