 Radioactively powered Type Ia supernova light curve

The nickel-56 to cobalt-56 to iron-56 decay chain supplies gamma rays and charged particles that heat supernova ejecta. Early expansion and photon diffusion delay the escaping optical light; after a peak on a scale of weeks, the luminosity falls as decay power declines and gamma rays escape more readily. With comparable diffusion times and deposition efficiencies, peak luminosity scales approximately with the nickel-56 mass. Using one fixed absolute luminosity without accounting for composition-dependent yields can therefore bias standard-candle distances.