The near uniformity of the light curves of type Ia supernovae makes them good 'standard candles' for measuring cosmic expansion, but a correction must be applied to account for the fact that the brighter ones have broader light curves. Here, multi-dimensional modelling of the explosion physics and radioactive transfer reveals that failing to correct for an effect on the slope and normalization of the width–luminosity relation could lead to systematic overestimates of up to 2% of the distance to remote supernovae.
- D. Kasen
- F. K. Röpke
- S. E. Woosley
