Actinide Crystallization and Fission Reactions in Cooling White Dwarf Stars

نویسندگان

چکیده

The first solids that form as a cooling white dwarf (WD) starts to crystallize are expected be greatly enriched in actinides. This is because the melting points of WD matter scale Z5/3 and actinides have largest charge Z. We estimate may so they could support fission chain reaction. reaction ignite carbon burning lead explosion an isolated thermonuclear supernova (SN Ia). Our mechanism potentially explain SN Ia with sub-Chandrasekhar ejecta masses short delay times.Received 21 October 2020Revised 7 December 2020Accepted 23 February 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.131101© 2021 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasNovae & supernovaeNuclear astrophysicsNuclear physics explosive environmentsGravitation, Cosmology AstrophysicsNuclear Physics

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ژورنال

عنوان ژورنال: Physical Review Letters

سال: 2021

ISSN: ['1079-7114', '0031-9007', '1092-0145']

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.126.131101