Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have many applications in modern astrophysics. They are used as distance indicators, in the capacity of which they are responsible for the discovery of the accelerated expansion of the universe, and hence dark energy, as well as numerous studies on the equation of state of that dark energy and its evolution over time. Gravitationally lensed SNe Ia are often used as a test of General Relativity, as well as many other related theories. From a galactic chemical evolution perspective, SNe Ia are the primary source of heavy elements.

Despite their obvious importance, we still do not know exactly how SNe Ia form. While we do know that SNe Ia are the result of thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs (CO WDs), we still do not understand the details of the process leading up to the explosion, as well as how the explosion itself occurs. The mass of the most massive CO WD that could be formed via single stellar evolution is a mere 0.6 solar masses, far less than what is required for an explosion, so for such a CO WD to explode as a SNe Ia, it must have a source from which it can accrete mass prior to the explosion. The nature of this source of mass is still a heatedly debated topic in academic circles. When the explosion itself occurs, some mechanism induces a thermonuclear detonation within the CO WD, destroying it and producing lots of nickel 56 and other iron peak elements, but the identity of this mechanism is also unclear.

In this field, our group has expertise in many areas, including but not limited to the initial-final mass relation of candidate progenitor stars (which determine the initial mass of the CO WD), mass accretion models, and interactions between the SNe Ia explosion ejecta and its mass-providing companion.