Can white dwarfs become supernova

Answer 1

Yes and No. White dwarfs generally form from stars that have too low a mass to become supernovae. However, if the white dwarf has a companion star, it is possible for the white dwarf to accrete additional fuel from the neighboring star and then it can explode as a nova {See Link} or a Supernova type La [See link]

Answer 2

No they do not. As white dwarfs cool they become black dwarfs. There has not been enough time since the big bang for any white dwarf to cool enough to be considered a black dwarf.

White dwarfs can explode as supernovae only when they have gained sufficiently in mass. When a white dwarf becomes about 1.38 solar masses (the Chandrasekhar limit) the gravitation force becomes greater than the electron degeneracy pressure that keeps the electrons from the nucleus of the atom. All the electrons and protons fuse into neutrons. The result is a Type 1a supernovae and a neutron star. This can only happen if the white dwarf is part of a contact binary or sufficiently close enough to a companion star that they will at some point they will become a contact binary. It is feasibly possible to gain enough mass through other means such as nebulae gas but it is highly highly improbable that it would be able to obtain enough mass by this method.

Answer 3

Stars that turn into white dwarfs do not have enough mass to "go" supernova. [See related question]

However, in rare cases, within a binary pair, a white dwarf can accrete enough mass to become a nova [See related question] or a type Ia supernova.

Answer 4

There is a maximum mass that a white dwarf star can have - this is upper limit is called 'the Chandrasekhar limit'.

Above this mass the electron degeneracy pressure in the star's core is insufficient to balance the star's own gravitational self-attraction and it will begin to collapse into a neutron star. This collapse causes the white dwarf to explode as a supernova which totally destroys the star.

A white dwarf can only turn into a supernova if somehow it can gain mass from outside and thus reach/exceed the Chandrasekhar limit. The usual source of this mass is to steal it form a close stellar companion star when the white dwarf is part of a binary star system.

Answer 5

A small or medium-sized star become a white dwarf when they run out of fuel in their core and becomes a red giant star, then the red giant's shell would float into space, leaving the core behind, the core would then become a white dwarf. If a star is too massive, they would become a neutron star or a black hole.

Answer 6

No. Only small to medium sized stars eventually become white dwarfs.

Larger stars evolve into neutron stars or black holes.

See related question.

Answer 7

No they will not. In all probability, depending on the initial mass, they will end their lives as either a neutron star or a black hole.