What is the approximate mass limit that a white dwarf must breach via accretion to trigger a Type Ia event?
Answer
Approximately 1.4 times the mass of the Sun.
The critical mass threshold that triggers the thermonuclear runaway in a white dwarf is known as the Chandrasekhar limit, which is about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun. Breaching this limit leads directly to the explosion.
Related Questions
What is the typical initial mass requirement for a single star to undergo a core-collapse supernova?What is the fate of a star like our Sun, considered a low-mass star in this context?What phenomenon is responsible for triggering a Type Ia supernova explosion?What is the approximate mass limit that a white dwarf must breach via accretion to trigger a Type Ia event?Which elements are scattered across space following a supernova explosion?How are Type II, Ib, or Ic supernovae classified?What physical process leads to the core-collapse supernova in high-mass stars?What is the significance of Type Ia supernovae for cosmology?What structure halts the inward implosion of a massive star's core just before a core-collapse supernova?What distinguishes the timescale required for setting up a Type Ia supernova versus a core-collapse supernova?What is the ultimate fate for stars born with masses significantly below the threshold required for core-collapse supernovae?