<p>A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_Ia_supernova" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Type Ia supernova (SNIa)</a> also normally leaves &quot;nothing behind&quot; (that is no dense remnant; all the material of the stars involved gets dispersed into space.) This phenomenon involves one or two white dwarf stars, in which a significant fraction of the material (initially usually carbon and oxygen; although a substantial fraction of He, Ne, Mg can also be present) undergoes fast thermonuclear burning (perhaps detonation involved too) into <sup>56</sup>Ni, <sup>28</sup>Si, calcium and other elements lighter than Ni, all this burning taking ~2 seconds. The thermonuclear energy released unbinds the white dwarf(s), the reaction products expand into the Universe; thus SNIas enrich the interstellar medium (ISM) with the heavy elements produced, drive shock waves in ISM, and entertain astronomers.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-11-26T19:45:10.173Z
2021-11-28T19:52:22.613Z
2021-11-28T19:52:22.613Z
matteroffact
<p>You are probably thinking of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair-instability_supernova" rel="noreferrer">pair-instability supernova</a>. Such a supernova releases more energy than the star's gravitational binding energy, completely disrupting the star and dispersing the contents.  Meaning that with nothing else in the universe, over infinite time every particle from the star will get infinitely far away from any/every other particle.  The mass, energy, etc. of the star doesn't vanish from the universe, though; it just gets spread throughout it.  But there will be no dense remnant left behind: no dwarf, no neutron star, no black hole; over long time scales there won't even be a discernible nebula remaining (though note the star may have shed off significant amounts of material prior to this event, which would interact with the ejecta and may result in some sort of permanent structure suggesting a star used to be there).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-25T14:18:54.700Z
Yes! That was it.
StellarExile
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-25T03:11:15.520Z
2017-12-25T03:11:15.520Z
zibadawa timmy
<p>I have been researching this on Google, and I think there is a process. What is this process called? I have forgotten.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-25T00:02:57.603Z
Supernova doesn't leave what behind?  Or do you mean a supernova is not left behind?  More info would be nice. I don't understand what you are asking. Maybe someone else will.
Natsfan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-25T00:12:39.137Z
i fixed it. It's where a supernova leaves nothing behind.
StellarExile
<supernova>
Is there any phenomenon where a supernova doesn't leave anything behind?
StellarExile
# Is there any phenomenon where a supernova doesn't leave anything behind?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-12-24)

I have been researching this on Google, and I think there is a process. What is this process called? I have forgotten.

**Tags:** supernova

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Supernova doesn't leave what behind?  Or do you mean a supernova is not left behind?  More info would be nice. I don't understand what you are asking. Maybe someone else will.  
> **username_0**: i fixed it. It's where a supernova leaves nothing behind.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-12-25. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

You are probably thinking of a [pair-instability supernova](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair-instability_supernova). Such a supernova releases more energy than the star's gravitational binding energy, completely disrupting the star and dispersing the contents. Meaning that with nothing else in the universe, over infinite time every particle from the star will get infinitely far away from any/every other particle. The mass, energy, etc. of the star doesn't vanish from the universe, though; it just gets spread throughout it. But there will be no dense remnant left behind: no dwarf, no neutron star, no black hole; over long time scales there won't even be a discernible nebula remaining (though note the star may have shed off significant amounts of material prior to this event, which would interact with the ejecta and may result in some sort of permanent structure suggesting a star used to be there).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Yes! That was it.  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2021-11-26. Score: 5

A [Type Ia supernova (SNIa)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_Ia_supernova) also normally leaves "nothing behind" (that is no dense remnant; all the material of the stars involved gets dispersed into space.) This phenomenon involves one or two white dwarf stars, in which a significant fraction of the material (initially usually carbon and oxygen; although a substantial fraction of He, Ne, Mg can also be present) undergoes fast thermonuclear burning (perhaps detonation involved too) into 56Ni, 28Si, calcium and other elements lighter than Ni, all this burning taking ~2 seconds. The thermonuclear energy released unbinds the white dwarf(s), the reaction products expand into the Universe; thus SNIas enrich the interstellar medium (ISM) with the heavy elements produced, drive shock waves in ISM, and entertain astronomers.


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