If mass is pulled onto an accreting white dwarf from a companion star, what event can this influx of new material potentially trigger?
Answer
A thermonuclear runaway resulting in a Type Ia supernova.
When a white dwarf in a binary system accretes sufficient new material from its companion, the increased mass can initiate a violent thermonuclear runaway reaction on its surface, leading directly to a Type Ia supernova.
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