This also included supernova explosions for the progenitors evolved with different reaction rate sets. In such a case, not the reaction rates themselves but only the nuclear mass differences, i.e. reaction Q-values, count. Thus, while it remains important to employ efforts for the best possible cross section and reaction rate predictions, it turns out that supernova nucleosynthesis is very robust and not too sensitive to the rates involving the strong and electromagnetic interactions of intermediate and heavy nuclei. Realistic, self-consistent supernova models based on neutrino heating are expected to be closer to a thermal energy deposition. Type Ia supernovae give a dominant contribution to the abundances of Fe-group nuclei.
Small changes lead to abundances which disagree strongly with the solar system composition.
Thus, we have a tool, which makes use of tiny abundances of very rare species not detectable via light curve observations or spectra. This seems to converge to the same conclusions as recent multi-dimensional flame propagation studies by Niemeyer, Woosley, and Hillebrandt. Ia to determine the Hubble constant H o and the cosmological decelaration parameter q o .