carbon detonation
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
English
[edit]
Noun
[edit]carbon detonation (countable and uncountable, plural carbon detonations)
- (astronomy, nuclear physics) The explosive ignition of thermonuclear fusion within a carbon-oxygen white dwarf star that occurs when its mass exceeds approximately 1.4 times that of the Sun (due to accretion of material or merger with another star), producing a supernova which completely destroys the star.