IISc study says strong magnetic fields could allow white dwarfs to grow beyond the Chandrasekhar limit
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science have published a study indicating that intense magnetic fields within white dwarf stars could enable them to exceed the traditional Chandrasekhar mass limit. The magnetic pressure would counteract gravitational collapse, allowing the stars to accumulate additional mass before exploding as supernovae. The findings could revise models of stellar evolution and Type Ia supernova mechanisms.