This is particularly true for one particular kind of supernova known as Type Ia. An overview of the different proposed Type Ia supernova progenitors has been published on the arXiv preprint server.

Type Ia supernovae originate in binary star systems—systems where two stars orbit each other. In one possible scenario, there are two stars approximately the same size—let's say about the size ...

The work is published in the journal Physical Review Letters. A type Ia supernova occurs in a binary system in which one of the stars is a white dwarf. The primary mechanism behind this is ...