New mass limit for white dwarfs: super-Chandrasekhar type Ia supernova
  as a new standard candle
  Type Ia supernovae, sparked off by exploding white dwarfs of mass close to
Chandrasekhar limit, play the key role to understand the expansion rate of
universe. However, recent observations of several peculiar type Ia supernovae
argue for its progenitor mass to be significantly super-Chandrasekhar. We show
that strongly magnetized white dwarfs not only can violate the Chandrasekhar
mass limit significantly, but exhibit a different mass limit. We establish from
foundational level that the generic mass limit of white dwarfs is 2.58 solar
mass. This explains the origin of over-luminous peculiar type Ia supernovae.
Our finding further argues for a possible second standard candle, which has
many far reaching implications, including a possible reconsideration of the
expansion history of the universe.
